Someone Was Watching
by RedHeadsRock1010
Summary: Stolen from their homes and trapped in a ghost's idea of a zoo, Danny and the other missing teenagers need to find a way out before their captor decides these strays need to be put down. Can Danny keep his Halfa status a secret when their lives are on the line?
1. Prologue

**Someone Was Watching**

Voices have a lot of power, but in Amity Park they're being silenced. When teenagers start disappearing from the most haunted town in America, with no ghost taking credit for the crime, Team Phantom needs to work out if they're fighting a ghost enemy or a human.

Set after Masters of All Time. Reveal fic.

 _Crime/thriller/suspense_

* * *

 **Prologue**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Amity Park really was a "Great Place to Live!" when one admired the big picture.

Ghosts were reoccurring enemies of the citizens of Amity Park, but the common ones were mere annoyances. The only time humans were forced to worry about malevolent beings was when the ghosts were above a level 8 on the GIW's ecto-activity scale; and that rarely ever happened under the watch of Phantom.

There were positives to having everything they know about life and death being flipped upside down and spun through a blender. Due to the increase in ghosts within the city, crime carried out by humans was at a low count of two felonies every six months. Kidnappings, assaults, murder, and rape were all things of the past. The humans had better things to worry about, such as their own existential crisis due to the confirmation of the existence of ghosts or simply trying to stay out of the way of them.

All things considered, the town of Amity Park was a safe environment that mixed the supernatural with reality. Of course, one had to consider the risks of getting caught in a ghost fight– or ending up within 60 feet of Jack Fenton – but other than the occasional weird occurrences, the town was a treasure to all its residents.

So when the first girl disappeared, it caught the attention of everyone.

Ghosts don't kidnap people unless they're doing it very loudly or simply goading Phantom into fighting them, but this high school girl disappeared with zero noise.

Police were forced to resurface and start working on locating a human, not a ghost. Some tried to calm the masses by saying they girl ran away. She was bullied in school and her grades were dropping; it's not as if a human would have taken her, right?

When the second girl went missing, people started to talk about a serial killer who snuck into Amity Park to prey on little girls. Police ignored the serial killer rumors, but _did_ focus on those who had recently moved here or were taking a vacation at the supposed "most haunted city in America." The second missing kid had moved to Amity Park only a week before the first girl disappeared.

Nothing came up and by the time the third child went missing, a young boy this time, the town was forced to recognize that a human was committing crime again within their walls. It was a terrifying thought for everyone. They had been handling ghosts for almost two years now, and suddenly it was back to fighting amongst themselves?

Neighbors feared neighbors. Old friends were suddenly suspicious of each other. A feeling of distrust invaded every mind in Amity Park before they could stop it. After a month since the first kidnapping, three teens were missing with no leads to where they went.

Mayor Montez was hounded by concerned parents almost immediately. Under threat of impeachment, Montez created several safety precautions for teenagers: one such rule included having parents drive their kids to and from school each day to ensure their safety 24/7.

Now the teenagers, although slightly concerned with the thought of becoming the prey of a serial killer, were quite thrilled with some of the changes being made. Homework was light because the teachers were all distracted by learning drills to protect them from guns, and during the school week they were forced to go over safety features, which to them was better than any math course. But the best part was having their parents drive them every day- no more stinky buses!

Two teenagers with the last name Fenton, however, were less than thrilled with the arrangement.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"I swear that was a red light," Danny Fenton breathed heavily, leaning against the RV window. They passed through another intersection. "Okay, I know that one was a red light."

As the large vehicle carrying the Fenton family shot down the main highway of Amity Park, cars miles away heard the noise and moved to the side for fear of getting run over. If this weren't a typical occurrence in the city of Amity Park, the vehicle breaking not only the laws of the road but the laws of physics as well would have been pulled over already.

Thankfully for the Fentons– unthankfully for everyone else– the police were tired of ticketing them every time Jack Fenton got behind the wheel. As long as he didn't kill anyone and paid for all the property damage, it wasn't their issue.

"Dad, you do understand the meaning of speed limits, correct?" Jazz Fenton asked, in the same position as her little brother and only half serious. "They're not suggestions."

Jack Fenton was hardly concerned by his children's statements. "But of course, Jazzy-pants!" he cried, ironically stepping on the pedal at the exact moment. The speedometer now read just under 80mph. "But if you want to be on time, you have to break a few rules!"

Maddie Fenton looked as though she were on a rollercoaster at a theme park. Despite her love for her husband- and his insane driving skills- she put aside her fun in order to appease her children's wishes. "Jack, dear, you're scaring the kids."

"I'm not scared!" both Danny and Jazz said stubbornly. They made a face at the other for copying them.

"Awwwww, but Maddie," Jack whined. "I want to go catch the ghost after this."

"I know you do, and we will, but please be a dear and get the kids to school still breathing?"

The two hunters were some of the only people in Amity Park who refused to believe a human was behind the kidnappings. Whether they had actual evidence to support this or it was just another one of their crazy ghost obsessions, Danny and Jazz could only guess.

"I would give anything to fly right now," Danny muttered, looking out the window and reminiscing all the times he skipped the bus to fly to school.

"Please, take me with you," Jazz said, holding a hand over her mouth. She was about two minutes away from puking inside their family's prized ghost hunting RV. "If I hurl, it's heading towards you."

Danny jerked backwards. "What the- no way! Keep it over there."

"You can turn intangible," Jazz groaned, "I can't so _suffer_."

Jack suddenly slammed on the brakes, sending the rest of his family forward as inertia kicked in. "We're here!"

"Oh thank God," Jazz whispered from her hunched over position. Danny laughed when her usually perfect red hair got stuck in her mouth.

After sending her little brother a glare, Jazz unbuckled her seat belt and walked around to her mom's side of the car. "You'll pick us up?"

Maddie glanced at her husband bouncing in his seat and sighed. "I'll pick you up."

"Have a great day kids!" Jack shouted before speeding away through the parking lot.

The two green-looking teenagers watched the RV as it almost ran into their teacher's car. Lancer poked his head out of the window and screamed "FENTON!"

"If I get detention for this, Dad's raising my allowance," Danny grumbled.

Jazz blinked. "You have an allowance?"

Predictably, Lancer glared at the teenagers as he approached the school.

"I will now."

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Detention was boring as usual, but at least Danny only had to suffer through it with Mikey, not Dash, who had apparently been caught trying to change all the computer screens to play the Ghostbuster's theme song when they loaded this morning.

Mikey was busy doodling on a pad and Lancer seemed engrossed in today's newspaper when Danny's boredom took hold. There were zero ghosts around and it wasn't like the teacher would let him go to the bathroom anyways. "What are you reading?" Danny wondered, leaning forward.

Lancer lowered the newspaper enough to look his student in the eye. "Are you asking because you're interested or because you're bored."

Danny flushed a little but shrugged. "A little of both."

Lancer raised an eyebrow, but seemed to be in a good mood as he started reading, _"Stolen from her home last Tuesday, Caroline has been missing for long enough time to contact the federal government about a large-scale kidnapping occurring in Amity Park. Officials are unsure if the federal agents visiting should be notified of our towns current predicament-"_

"They mean the ghosts, right?" Mikey cut in.

"Yes Mr. Lankey, they mean the ghosts," Lancer answered, hardly fazed that he was interrupted. He suddenly got the "teacher look" which meant he was going to turn this into some sort of educational lesson. Closing his paper, he turned his attention to his students.

"What do you two think of all this?" he asked.

Danny bit his lip, recalling how angry and horrified he had been. When Jazz first shown him the announcement about a kidnapping, he had rushed into the Ghost Zone to beat the one who took the human girl into a pulp. After almost three hours of talking to those he was allied with, and even several he wasn't, no one took claim for the event or had heard anything about it.

Though ghosts were hardly black and white beings, one thing that remained constant was their pride and overall delight for attention. Danny had even asked someone who was an expert on taking the attention from other people- well according to Skulker at least who had given him the ghost's address.

"Kid, if a ghost hasn't taken credit for it, then a ghost didn't do it," the new guy Amorpho told him. "Either that or you've got someone who's already taken credit for it, but in a way that's quiet yet satisfying enough to appease their obsession."

"It, uh well, would have been easier if a ghost did this," Danny finally said out loud. Lancer was tough on him, sure, but he was also the only teacher that tutored, gave extra credit, and worried about him daily so Danny felt comfortable with sharing.

"We have hunters, trackers, and devices that can pinpoint a specific ectosignature. We even have access to the Ghost Zone, one of the only places ghosts use to hide out from humans," he continued, eyes on his teacher's interested expression. "Ghosts are predictable, but humans aren't, and that's going to be the hardest part in finding this guy, I guess."

Lancer grinned. "Mr. Fenton, I do believe that was the most intelligent thing you've ever said to me. Jasmine would be proud."

Danny knew his face must be as red as it felt. That did not make him feel good. Not at all. Not even a little. Nope.

"Anything you want to add, Mr. Lankey?" Lancer asked, deciding Danny's blood pressure needed a break.

"We wouldn't need the help of people who think we're crazy if this were just another ghost attack," Mikey said, referring to the federal government's refusal to repair Amity Park's damaged roads after ghost attacks. They had practically laughed in their faces.

Lancer nodded. "I agree." He leaned backwards in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "These next few weeks are going to be hectic for all of us. No one wants the government butting into our business, but those children's lives are more important."

Danny suddenly remembered how he thought the second girl looked familiar. "Mr. Lancer, she wasn't one of your students, was she?"

The adult's eyes closed as he sucked in a deep breath. "A Freshmen. Just moved here last month."

Mikey and Danny winced. That was right around the time when the first girl went missing. "She was only here for a few days before everything went to hell," Danny commented, leaning his head against his desk.

He couldn't even imagine how that girl must be feeling right now. Some of Amity Park's citizens had thick skin due to their exposure to ghosts, but this girl and her family had only just moved here.

"That's awful," Mikey said, looking down, but there was a calculating look in his eyes. "But why did she move here halfway through the school year?"

"Scholarship student," Lancer answered, looking wistful. "She was brilliant at art and Principal Ishiyama was hoping to raise the prestige of our school by accepting her even between terms."

Mikey looked as though his brain was working a mile a minute. Danny watched him out of the corner of his eyes when he whipped his head around to face him.

"Did you know the boy that was taken?" he asked.

Danny blinked slowly. "Uh, well I've seen him around school, but no, not really." His mind partially caught up to what Mikey was thinking. "But I have seen him messing around with an instrument all the time?" he voiced, unsure.

Lancer was watching them curiously. "What are you getting at, Mr. Lankey?"

Mikey looked unsure himself, but more confident in whatever he was thinking about than the teacher and his classmate. "Not sure, but I need to ask my parents something because I think they were in a PTA group with the first girl that went missing."

Danny knew Mikey was smart- pretty much all the citizens of Amity Park had to be to survive- so if this kid could piece together something even the police couldn't, then he'd believe it.

"Well my parents are used to hunting ghosts, but if you find anything, I can tell them and I'm sure they'll help," Danny joked, knowing full well he'd be the one hunting this guy down if it came to it. Hunting humans was certainty new, but a couple people had been seen begging Phantom for aid so it's not as though he could sit around doing nothing while more people went missing.

Mikey nodded. "I will!" he reassured.

The next day the newspaper headline reported him missing.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** This idea was pitched to me in a review because some of you wanted to see a more serious story from me with bonding/hurt/comfort (and not a stranded story).

1) Some of the main characters from the show will be roughing it together after being kidnapped individually

2) Danny's still 14 even though he's a sophomore. He's a late birthday.

3) No ice powers yet or Dani (this happens before those episodes)

4) Danny's only _just_ getting used to his powers (no season 3 confidence yet)

5) Unlike SWMC, Danny is more of a teen victim here than a strong-willed leader who takes everything in stride

6) It's a gen. fic. These kids have a lot more to worry about than romance.

7) Mental abuse and neglect

8) Psychological

9) As always, a reveal fic

10) I have everything planned out already (for once)

You still don't need to worry about things like bashing/pairings/main character death/or crazy overdramatic angst. I'm not changing my writing style, I'm just delving into different genres. I'm excited about this story! I've never done something like it.

 **PS:** Another fanfic in the DP fandom has used this plot bunny before, but just like the "ghost zone field trip" ones, mine shares the idea not the story. I'll link it once we get further into the plot.

SWMC is still kicking me in the ass, but I haven't abandoned it, I promise.


	2. Attention Bait

**Attention Bait**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 _Previously: Mikey nodded. "I will!" he reassured._

 _The next morning the paper reported him missing._

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"Danny, beating yourself up over this isn't going to help anyone," Sam whispered, leaning far enough forward to place a hand against his back.

Danny's shoulders moved to shake her hand, but Sam was persistent. Only when the tense muscles of his back finally relaxed did she remove her form of comfort and support.

"I know," he muttered back, still facing forward. His best friends didn't need to see his face to know he was glaring holes into the blackboard. "But Mikey was right there with me, Sam. Just yesterday we were talking about these kidnappings and now he's the one taken?"

Tucker risked leaning sideways to whisper, "That is pretty weird, but it has nothing to do with you, dude."

This time Danny looked at the other male out of the corner of his eyes. "How could you possibly know that? Casper High is one of the biggest targets because I go here."

"But you don't even know the first kids that went missing," Tucker explained, holding out a notebook with writing on it. "Look, after class we can-"

"FENTON. FOLEY. Eyes front and center!" the teacher shouted, noticing that two of her students were whispering to each other in the back. The teenagers jumped at the shout, but reluctantly faced the blackboard.

Normally the class would have laughed at their misfortune- it was practically Dash's favorite pastime to humiliate Danny- but a somber mood had settled over everyone since Mikey was kidnapped. The previous students hadn't been in their grade, but every sophomore in Casper High knew Mikey either because he was extremely smart or just one of the A-listers favorite targets.

To them, the danger was finally starting to hit home.

Once the class settled, several students went back to whispering amongst themselves, thankful that only Fenton and Foley had been caught.

Dash turned his head slightly to catch Kwan's eyes. His best friend had circles under them and a tired scowl on his face. "My folks are really spooked about this," Dash whispered.

Kwan rubbed a hand down his face. "I couldn't sleep last night," he admitted, looking to see if the teacher was watching. "I-I couldn't help imagining waking up and my sister not being there."

All the A-listers knew how much Kwan adored his little sister. She was only one year younger than him, a freshman, but the girl had a way of making everyone think she was a lot younger than she looked. Dash sent him a look of sympathy. "Oh man, I'm real sorry, dude. Do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?"

Kwan shook his head. "And leave my sis by herself? Sorry Dash, but I'll pass."

Next to the football players, two cheerleaders were sharing their worries. Star bit her lip as she thought of her family. "My mom wouldn't be able to take care of herself without me there," she confessed to Paulina. "My brother's in college out of state so I'm all she has right now."

Paulina, though she loved her best friend, could hardly sympathize. "My Papa will be alright, but he'd stop at nothing to help get me back from this guy's evil clutches!" she exclaimed, voice still a whisper.

"How do you know it's a guy?" Star asked, eyebrows raised.

Paulina gave her the most 'duh' look she could manage. "Because this is how the fairytale always goes. The princess, me, is captured by the evil mastermind, the kidnapper, then the prince, Phantom, comes to rescue me and we get married as we fly off into the sunset!"

Star shook her head as her friend got lost in her fantasy. Sure, Phantom was the coolest person- er, ghost- in Amity Park, but she would never understand Paulina's obsession with him. Although the girl did claim to be the first person who ever knew he was good. Maybe she felt special because she knew before everyone else?

"Just please be careful, Paulina," Star urged, grabbing her friend's hand. "And don't you dare get kidnapped on purpose because I swear if you leave me alone with these losers," she pointed to the two jocks, the nerds, and Fenton's group, "I will _haunt_ you."

Paulina mock gasped. "I would never." Glad the tension had been broken, the two girls giggled, annoying the teenager sitting next to them.

"Could you guys stay quiet for more than five seconds?" Valerie hissed, writing frantically in her notebook.

Star and Paulina glared at their old friend. "Oh like you're actually taking notes," Star said, leaning over enough to see Valerie's list of times, names, and possible suspects of the kidnappings.

Valerie quickly jerked towards the window and covered her notes with her arm. "Watch it."

The two A-listers rolled their eyes. "Chill, Val, there's no need to snap at us," Paulina said. "Why are you writing all that anyways? It's not like you can help find them. Well, unless your dad's a police officer or something."

"You leave my dad out of this," Valerie snapped, recalling how they'd made fun of her family's transition into a lower social class. "And what I do is none of your business."

By now the girls were bored of talking to her so they just shrugged, passing off her aggression as the worry everyone was experiencing since the disappearances, and faced forward again.

The entire class was able to keep their whispers quiet enough that their teacher was none-the-wiser, but a certain half ghost with superhuman hearing was able to pick up everything. Danny, already frustrated enough, tried to cover his ears to block out the A-listers.

Of course Sam and Tucker knew immediately what was wrong. "Danny, whatever they're saying just ignore it," Sam said.

"I can't," Danny responded, hands curling around his ears as he pressed his forehead against his desk. "Everyone's panicking and I'm sitting at a freaking desk rather than out there," he pointed to the window, "catching whoever is doing this!"

Before they could respond, Danny turned around to face them. "Do you know what the news said the other day?"

Tucker winced. "Uh, well, it's nothing they haven't said before."

"They're blaming all of this on _me_ because I'm not out there trying to help."

"They just haven't seen you catch a ghost in a while," Sam explained, trying to calm him down before they got yelled at again. "Phantom staying quiet around the same time kids start disappearing is bound to catch their attention."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh great, because I'm finally starting to get better at catching ghosts before anyone notices or gets hurt, I'm suddenly the bad guy. Thanks, Amity Park. Real nice."

His best friends shared a look, but had nothing positive to say about that. Thankfully the teacher took that moment to turn around and sigh loudly. The students noticed his change in focus, but were too slow to pretend they were listening.

"Look, I know pre-calculus isn't the biggest thing on your mind right now, but can we all just focus for ten more minutes before the bell?" Mr. Denzberger asked, exasperated. They could easily see how tired the teacher looked.

The students couldn't do anything but nod.

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of 7th period, every student raced to get to their lockers before the mandatory pick up by their parents. Danny, Sam, and Tucker walked slowly to theirs.

"Did you find anything, Tuck?" Danny asked, taking the notebook from him as they dodged running students.

"Not much," the techno geek answered. "Whoever took them removed the batteries and the sim cards from their phones. I figured since none of their cells had been found then I might be able to track them, but this guy really knows what he's doing."

"Either that or they're in the Ghost Zone somewhere," Sam reminded. The two boys stared at her. "What? It's not like I think a ghost did it, but we shouldn't leave out the possibility."

Danny groaned as he used his intangibility to reach through his locker, knowing everyone in the hallway was distracted enough. "I checked with _everyone_ and no one knew any ghost that would want to kidnap humans," he snapped, pulling out his books. "I believe their words were 'ew, who would want to keep one of those?'"

Tucker laughed at Danny's imitation of his ghost enemies. "At least that crosses off a lot of suspects."

"But it just opens the door to all the others!" Danny cried, slamming his locker shut. "Specifically the human ones."

The Trio, finished with their lockers, walked out the front door to their waiting parents. "It'll be easier for you to take down a human," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, but harder to find, though," Tucker observed, wincing when Sam punched him in the arm. "Hey!"

Danny smiled at their antics, taking a deep breath. "I'll talk to Jazz tonight," he said, tone a tad lighter than before. "If anyone knows the psychology of criminals, it's her. Want to meet up around nine?"

Tucker and Sam grinned. "Nasty Burger?"

"Nasty Burger."

A loud, booming voice, followed by a crash and a car alarm, suddenly shouted, "DANNY-BOY! Over here!"

Obviously, Jack Fenton couldn't read the somber mood that overwhelmed the teenagers of Casper High, but surprisingly more than a handful of them were thankful for it. All conversations about the missing kids were cut off when Jack accidently pressed his foot on the peddle and slammed into a light post in his excitement. "Hey! DANNY! JAZZY-PANTS! WE'RE HERE TO PICK YOU UP!"

The students waiting for their parents broke into laughter, thankful for the tension-breaking action. Danny, embarrassed and making sure to keep his head down, quickly followed his sister to their family RV. Greatly amused, his friends waved goodbye.

Jazz frowned at her mom in the passenger seat. "I thought you were going to drive?"

Maddie smiled at her daughter. "Oh, but sweetie, you know how your father loves to help you kids."

Danny and Jazz groaned as they buckled up in the backseat. "Why is mom so weak to Dad's smile?" Danny asked, rolling his eyes.

"Honestly, their love would be cute if it wasn't so gross," Jazz said.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

It was almost 8:30 when the two siblings finally stopped their research. Jazz had shared thousands of notes on criminal psychology with her little brother- who had to be woken up several times and told to pay attention- before Danny gave up.

"Jazz, none of this will help me _find_ him," he complained, falling backwards dramatically to sprawl across his floor.

The female bit her lip and was silent far too long for Danny's liking. Disturbed, Danny slowly raised himself to his elbows. "You don't think I'm going to find him, do you?"

Jazz loved her little brother, and she would gladly admit to being extremely overprotective of him, but even she had to consider all the possibilities. "Danny, they're taking teenagers," she said.

"And?"

"You're a teenager."

Danny's eyebrows raised as he flung himself forward to face Jazz. "Wait, you think I'm going to get kidnapped?" he whispered, horrified. "Jazz, I'm half _ghost,_ there's absolutely no way someone would be able to get me, and I highly doubt this guy is going to be concerned about making things ghost proof."

"I get that, Danny, I really do, but there are a lot of ways to make sure someone can't fight back," she explained, handing him a list.

Danny quickly read through it. "Hostages? Drugs? Sleeping gas?" He lowered the paper. "Seriously, Jazz?"

Jazz rolled her eyes. Why must fourteen-year-olds be so difficult? "I know, but I just want you to be prepared, okay?"

"Fine," Danny said, waving her off. "I'll be careful." He looked at the time and quickly dove for his cellphone.

"Crap! I have to go meet Sam and Tuck," he yelled over his shoulder. Ignoring the other occupant in his room, he raced for the door before stopping just outside. "Uh, you're fine with cleaning up, right?"

Jazz smiled fondly. "Go."

"I have the best sister ever," Danny shouted as he raced down the stairs.

"And don't you forget it!"

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"Actually, Jazz might be on to something here," Tucker commented in between bites.

The minute Danny arrived, the group moved to a secluded corner near the back and shared their theories. Although Danny could hardly remember all the psychological information Jazz shoved at him, he remembered enough to explain her thoughts.

Sam gave Tucker a disgusted look as some of the Nasty Sauce spilled over his chin. "Would you _please_ stop acting like an animal," she snapped.

Tucker grinned through his meat-covered teeth. "Come on, Sam. Who doesn't love animals?"

Ignoring Sam's obvious distaste for meat and Tucker's eating habits, Danny asked Tucker, "You think we might get kidnapped?"

Thankfully Tucker swallowed before he spoke again. "I mean, she has a point. Teenagers are the ones disappearing, but that's not what I meant," he explained. "You even said so yourself, finding this guy could be impossible if he's human, so what if you got captured on purpose?"

Sam glared at him. "I cannot believe you just suggested our best friend should try to get kidnapped."

"No, actually that's a pretty good idea," Danny said, smiling as he thought it over. "If he's human, then I can just fight him off once he takes me, find the other kids, and fly out safe and sound. It's perfect!"

"And what if he's not human?" Sam asked, hands on her hips. "And secret identity, remember?"

"That's true also, dude," Tucker commented, shoving fries into his mouth in between words. "If this is a ghost, then he probably knows who you are and would have ghost proof stuff to prevent you from escaping; and if this is some human guy, you kind of need to worry about the whole Halfa thing."

"This guy could also just be using this as a distraction to get to you," Sam brought up, quietly stealing one of Tucker's fries. Both boys saw her crime but decided not to mention it. "Maybe he's got a bigger plan going on and wants you to focus on this instead."

Not a second after she spoke, the Nasty Burger doors were thrown open. Normally hungry teenagers don't realize their own strength and tend to make a scene as they enter the restaurant, but when Star raced inside with tears running down her face, people payed attention.

Through her choked sobs, she screamed, "I can't find Paulina!"

Sam and Tucker turned to Danny at the sight of bright green in the corner of their eyes.

"If this ghost is using my classmates to bait me," Danny growled angrily amongst the panic, eyes glowing a toxic green, "then he's certainly got my attention."

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** Has anyone read "And Then There Were None?" I love that book/movie.

I still can't give too much away until the plot thickens. Hope everyone likes it so far! The beginning is relaxed, but the pace picks up pretty quickly soon.


	3. Dollhouse

**Dollhouse**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 _Previously:_ _"If this ghost is using my classmates to bait me," Danny growled angrily amongst the panic, eyes glowing a toxic green, "Then he's certainly got my attention."_

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

The police got to Star first. Thankfully they hadn't cleared out the Nasty Burger or even bothered to pay attention to the people who were listening as they questioned the teenager who answered negatively to everything.

"Did you see anything?"

"Did you notice anyone following you?"

"Did the air get colder?"

"Did Paulina disappear right in front of you?"

Star was hesitant to answer the last one. Everyone listening knew that this could help the police figure out once and for all if this was a ghost or human criminal.

"I looked away," she whispered, trembling again. "I only l-looked away for a couple seconds, but then I turned around and she was just _gone_." Star was crying too hard to answer any more questions.

The police didn't seem bothered by this. They had the location Paulina was last seen, a semi-witness this time, and enough evidence to claim for certain that a human was taking the teenagers.

"They're going to go straight to the news stations to stop the human/ghost panic," Sam said as the police walked out the door of the Nasty Burger. The Trio watched as Star was immediately comforted by her A-lister friends.

"Ghosts don't change their habits, yet Paulina was taken outside rather than from her own home. He also left a witness this time," Sam explained, turning around and sitting in her seat again.

"That's a good thing, right?" Tucker said, pushing away the last bits of his food. He wasn't hungry anymore. "Now they can say for certain it wasn't Danny doing all this."

"It's too final," Danny said. "If they say for sure that it's a human, then no one but my parents will even _consider_ the possibility it could be a ghost."

Tucker paused for a minute, thinking about all of Danny's previous enemies. "But it's like Sam said, ghosts don't change their habits which means the person doing this is adaptable. Human."

Danny wasn't convinced. He looked over his shoulder to watch Star as she slowly calmed down from the suddenness of the situation. Something Mikey said the other day suddenly popped into his mind as he watched the girl.

He stood up, still looking at Star. "Guys, I'll be right back," he said, already heading towards the group of A-listers.

Tucker and Sam were left staring at his back like he'd grown an extra limb from it. "Is he seriously walking straight into a lion's den?" Tucker asked, bewildered.

Sam scowled. "If he gets eaten, I am _so_ not rescuing him."

Meanwhile, Danny was running though the last conversation he had with Mikey just before he disappeared- _was kidnapped_ \- the night before. For some reason the self-proclaimed nerd was interested in the fact the boy that went missing first played an instrument. Could he have figured out a connection?

All talking ceased when Danny approached the table. The A-listers were both shocked at the fact one of the losers dared to approach their table and angry that he was interrupting their grieving session with their friend.

The youngest Fenton knew this wasn't the best of times to attempt to break the unspoken barrier between social classes at Casper High, but he had to know.

"What do you want, Fenturd?" Dash growled, standing up.

Danny held his hands in the sign of the surrender. "Look, I just need to ask Star something."

The A-listers were visibly angry at his statement and Danny suddenly wished he had worded it better. "Go gawk at someone else, Fenton," Kwan said, voice cold. "Or wait and watch the news later like everyone else."

"No, wait! Please, that's not what I meant," Danny begged, taking a deep breath and dropping his arms. Praying he wouldn't get hit, he stared Star in the eyes. "Mikey said something to me before he was taken, and I just want to check something."

As the A-listers relaxed slightly, Danny realized that they had thought he wanted to exploit Star's story or pester her about Paulina. Surprisingly, that was kind of heartwarming.

Star rubbed her face. "What is it?" she asked, sounding very tired and small.

Danny felt bad for the girl. She'd just lost her best friend to an unknown horror. If it had been Sam or Tucker he probably would have been in the same state, or attacking every ghost in the zone until they told him where two of the most important people in his life were.

"Did Paulina, I don't know, play an instrument or something?" Everyone in the group gave him a confused look. "Or was she into art? Could she draw?" he added. "Like a talent for either?"

"Fenton, why in the-" Dash started before he was cut off by Star.

"No, she didn't," the teenager said, sighing loudly. "Does that help?"

Danny winced. "Uh, yeah. Thanks. Sorry to bother you," he said sincerely, pausing until she looked up again. "Star, I really am sorry. They'll find her, I promise."

Star snorted, but was obviously done with the conversation. Thanking Clockwork that he hadn't been punched in the face already for daring to talk to the popular group so openly, Danny quickly shuffled back to his friends who were waiting with amused expressions.

"I can't believe Dash didn't deck you," Tucker observed casually.

As he settled into his seat, Danny glared at his best friend. "Thanks for the concern," he muttered before turning serious. "I asked Star if Paulina played an instrument."

Sam and Tucker just blinked. "Guys, the boy who was taken before played an instrument," Danny explained at their blank expression. "And Mikey was asking about Caroline, the second girl, because for some reason he thought it was important that she was really good at art or something."

"So the people disappearing are the ones who like art and music?" Tucker said, slowly in obvious disbelief.

"Normally I'm with you, Danny, but right now I'm not following," Sam admitted, stealing more of Tucker's fries and glaring when he complained.

Danny groaned, sinking into his seat. Honestly, he wasn't following either. Paulina didn't play an instrument and Mikey didn't either, so why did he find those two facts so important for the other kids that disappeared?

"Paulina is really pretty, and I think the first girl that was taken used to be a child model," Tucker said, teasingly. "Maybe the kidnapper is making a life-sized dollhouse."

Sam sprayed him with part of her drink, ignoring his indignant shouting of, "I was kidding, honest!"

"Just forget it," Danny finally said, interrupting their fight. "I guess Mikey must have been missing a few details, and I'm a C student so it's not like I can figure it out."

Tucker patted him on the shoulder. "I'm a B+ student and I can't figure out what he means."

Sam nodded. "I'm an A+ student and I can't figure it out either."

"You guys are really not helping," Danny commented as they stood up. All three were very careful to avoid the A-lister table as they headed for the door.

"If anything I'd be more concerned with the fact this guy didn't wait weeks to kidnap Paulina like he did with the first two," Tucker said, showing them the dates he had saved in his PDA.

Danny almost stopped walking. "That's what Jazz said," he breathed, suddenly worried. "Criminals sometimes break routine to make several kills at one time."

The group was silent as they passed the several police officers guarding the Nasty Burger- not that it did any good considering Paulina had been taken right under their noses. Sam finally grabbed both their hands, swinging them while they walked towards their homes. Maybe she wanted reassurance that they wouldn't disappear before her very eyes or just needed comfort, but either way they didn't question the contact.

"Do you think he's going to take someone else tonight?" Sam asked, voice somber. She was staring at them with a look that carried far more emotion than she usually expressed.

"What, worried we might get kidnapped too?" Tucker teased. Sam let go of his hand long enough to punch him in the shoulder.

"Not funny," she snapped. "I'm serious, we should put trackers on each other before it's too late."

Danny tilted his head in thought. "Trackers? They don't work in the Ghost Zone- oh!" he said, excitedly. "So if one of us gets caught and the tracker doesn't work then we'll know for sure if it's a ghost or human- Sam that's perfect!"

Sam laughed. "Told ya."

"I could probably use the cards from my PDAs," Tucker said, pulling out the back of the one he was holding. "I'll teach you how to track mine if I'm taken, and I'll give each of you guys one that I can track if you disappear."

Danny squeezed her hand and sent an apologetic look to Sam before saying, "I think we need to bring Valerie in on this."

"What!?" Sam and Tucker shouted, dropping their linked hands in their outrage.

Danny jerked away from them before Sam could hit his shoulder or use her metal-toed boots on places that couldn't handle metal-toed boots. "She's a hunter, guys! And she's pretty good at fighting," he explained, thankful when they backed down. "Val's definitely someone we want on our side if we're going to be tracking someone, ghost or human. Plus, she would never be so easily caught."

"I love how he conveniently forgets the part where she hates his guts," Sam muttered to the sky.

"She hates my ghost guts, not my human ones!"

"Okay first, ew," Tucker complained. "Second, we'd have to actually convince her we're valuable teammates. She doesn't know we hunt ghosts too, remember?"

"And she also broke up with you that one time because she wanted to keep you saaaaafe," Sam teased, rolling her eyes. "Face it, Danny, she thinks we're all wimps."

Danny winced. "We can at least give her a tracking device," he muttered, kicking at a rock as they turned the corner to FentonWorks. His old feelings for Valerie were complicated, but she was a good friend and a great ally so they needed her on their side.

"We could actually start making devices for all the kids in our grade if we wanted," Tucker said. "It would take weeks, but it might help."

New mission in mind, the Trio split off after exchanging a long hug and promises to stay safe. They knew they'd be up video calling each other for another five hours, but for now they needed to reassure their families that they were still alive.

The fluorescent glow of his family's FentonWorks sign lit up the street. The house wasn't too far from the center of the city so Danny could easily see two police officers just a block away.

Shaking his head, Danny stepped through the doorway and called out, "Mom, Dad, I'm home and not dead!" For his own amusement, he whispered, "Well half of me isn't."

There was a crash from the basement. Knowing his father was going to show him a new invention of some sort, Danny dropped his cellphone on the center counter and met his dad at the stairs.

Predictably, Jack was there. "Danny-boy!" he shouted, holding up what looked like a vacuum cleaner. "Come take a look at this baby!"

Out in public Danny was embarrassed by his family's eccentric attitudes, but in the privacy of their own home he found it amusing. He smiled before joining his dad in the lab. His mother wasn't with him so she was probably in the shower. "What are you up to?"

Jack, excited that his son asked, thrust the invention in his arms. "This baby!"

Danny raised the invention, holding it slightly away from his body, and laughed awkwardly. "Uh… what does it do, exactly?"

His father froze. "Oh, well, I'm not sure yet, but I know once I figure it out that it'll be great!" he cheered.

Danny rolled his eyes. "That's great, Dad." His father was practically vibrating with excitement as he took the machine back.

When his parents were working on an invention it was like everything else disappeared so before he went back upstairs to leave Jack to his work, Danny wanted to ask him something. "Hey, Dad? Why do you think the guy taking teenagers is a ghost?"

"Oh?" Jack asked, looking up. "Finally interested in ghost hunting, are you, son?"

"Ah, no," Danny lied, looking down. "It's just that I knew some of the kids that went missing, and just now at the Nasty Burger another suddenly…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

Jack's expression was pained. "Another one, huh?" he muttered, angrily setting his weapon down and turning to face his son. "Your mother and I know a ghost when we see one, Danny. This one's behavior is all over the place, but it still reeks of ghost."

"Even though he changes his technique? I thought you said ghosts have trouble with adapting."

There was a moment where Danny thought his father was going to cry because his son remembered one of the ghost lessons he was given last year. "That's the thing, Danny-o. Ghosts usually don't change, but it's not impossible that one exists that could."

Jack suddenly rushed forward to place his giant hands on Danny's shoulders. All joking aside, he smiled at his son. "You be careful, all right? Your mother and I just love you to pieces and we wouldn't know what to do without you."

Sometimes Danny had trouble remembering that they were parents first, scientists second- especially when they screamed about tearing his ghost half apart- but it was moments like these that truly hit home for him. Eyes not quite wet, but less dry than before, Danny nodded. "Sure thing, Dad. I'll be okay."

His father messed up his hair before sending him upstairs. "Go get some sleep! You've got school tomorrow. Your mother says you need to bring those grades up!"

That night's conversation with Tucker and Sam was mostly filled with theories about the kidnappings and their new tracking devices, but Danny had such a warm feeling in his stomach that he couldn't help but share his Dad's words of support. It was words like those that almost made Danny feel like he could tell his family the truth about what he was.

Almost.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

The next morning, after a long night of debates with Sam and Tucker, Lancer's class was first and for once Danny had done his homework. Due to the disappearing teenagers, the homework and classwork amounts for other teachers were reduced greatly. Lancer, however, seemed determined to "give them their education."

The overweight teacher strolled into the classroom with an air of confidence. "I sincerely hope that all of you did your homework," he announced as he passed up and down the rows. He stopped in front of Danny. "If Mr. Fenton can turn in this assignment on time then I expect _all_ of you to have it today."

"Thanks," Danny muttered, dryly. Lancer winked at him as he picked up his essay.

Paulina had Lancer second period so the talk of the kidnapping wasn't as prominent in a class that didn't notice her absence. They'd all heard about it on the news, or were there for it last night, but it wasn't a popular conversation in Lancer's class.

That may have just been because Lancer would take off half a letter grade if he caught you whispering.

The teacher continued his stroll up and down the rows. He shuffled to a stop at Valerie's desk. "Ms. Grey is absent?" Lancer wondered out loud. "Well if she wants credit for the assignment then she'll need to email me by tonight."

The hair on the back of Danny's neck stood straight up and his face lost all its color. If Valerie needed to get out of class to hunt a ghost, she would drop her essay off first before leaving. She never missed a class assignment.

Ten minutes later when the police knocked on the classroom door to question Lancer about his student's whereabouts, Danny glared at the empty desk of one of the greatest ghost hunters in existence and said, "We should have given her that tracking device."

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** The main plot is finally revealed next chapter. These first three were sort of all prologues the longer I look at them. What kind of person/ghost is strong enough to overpower Valerie?

Poor kids. Now it's time to figure out where they're all going!


	4. Zookeeper

**ZooKeeper**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 _Previously: Ten minutes later when the police knocked on the classroom door to question Lancer about his student's whereabouts, Danny glared at the empty desk of one of the greatest ghost hunters in existence and said, "We should have given her that tracking device."_

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Valerie's disappearance was all over the news by the time school got out that day. Well liked or not, the students of Casper High mourned the loss of one of their own, and were terrified for their own safety after the back-to-back disappearances. Those who knew Valerie also realized she was not only tough, but a pretty difficult target to pin down, which begged the question: who had managed to overpower her?

Danny was mostly feeling guilty. If these kidnappings were connected to him and his secret identity, then he'd managed to screw up Valerie's life more than ever. Rushing out of seventh period to search for Valerie had been his plan, but just before the 7th period bell rung, Principal Ishiyama called for a mandatory school meeting in the auditorium.

Meetings usually meant more headaches for Danny Fenton/Phantom.

"Twenty bucks says they'll call in your parents," Tucker said, trying to lighten the mood as they followed their teacher to the auditorium.

Sam knew he was only trying to make things feel semi-normal so she refrained from decking him. "They think this guy's human, remember?" she pointed out, casting a sidelong look at Danny. "The Fentons are ghost hunters."

"And this guy's a ghost," Danny cut in, completely confident. He lifted his head enough to show his friends how serious he was. "Valerie's careful and most of all street-smart. She wouldn't be tricked by some guy's pathetic excuse to get her in a van or help him carry groceries to his apartment."

"Yet a ghost trick would work?" Tucker asked.

Danny's shoulders fell. "I don't know, maybe."

"It's a good idea, Danny," Sam reassured, herding her boys to three empty seats near the back of the rows. The Trio slouched down enough to hide their heads if the Fentons actually were called in to help. "Keeping an open mind is hardly a bad thing."

"Except when you have a dirty one," Tucker quipped, grinning at his own joke. He looked at their blank expressions and sagged, defeated. "Yeah, that was bad, even for me."

Danny shook his head, suddenly well aware that Tucker and Sam could disappear on him in a second and reappear as tomorrow's headline. "It's fine. I appreciate the support, really."

Sam smile was soft as she suggested, "After the meeting we can go patrol if you want."

"We'll stick together, right?" Tucker asked, looking nervous but trying not to show it.

"Together," Sam and Danny echoed, smiling.

Like all school meetings, the students looked less than thrilled about holding one. The last time this happened, Pariah Dark was in the process of taking over their town, and the first one was hardly a good memory for Danny considering he had been named Public Enemy number one.

The seats were filled by the time the bell rang to signal the end of the day. Once the students heard the bell, they groaned, clearly unhappy with having to stay at school longer than necessary.

"Paradise Lost, people, you'll get to leave in a minute," Lancer shouted through the megaphone in his hands. As the Vice Principal, the overweight teacher stood to the left of Principal Ishiyama on the stage. "Your parents have already been informed of the delay and understand we'll have you out of here as soon as possible."

There were grumbles of complaint, but hardly anyone had the energy to argue with the teacher. Detentions were still allowed and due to the kidnappings, they were made a thousand times worse by requiring constant adult watch. No one wanted to risk getting in trouble if it meant spending an afternoon being stared at by someone they disliked.

Principal Ishiyama made her way to the podium. She looked as nervous as everyone else who remained terrified about the kidnappings, but as an adult figure she tried not to let it show.

"As you all know, there is someone out there taking your fellow classmates," she began, voice bouncing off the walls of the suddenly silent room. "And we want to share with you some of our concerns regarding the matter."

"This person has no particular target in mind other than teenagers," she continued. "They ignore social background, race, gender, IQ, sexual identity, and several other factors that remain different in each student that has disappeared so far. Right now, we are currently down six students, and that is far too great of a number for us to pretend like your safety is still guaranteed."

"Students have not been _taken_ from Casper High as of yet, but the issue remains that all students who have been taken _go_ to Casper High. It is extremely likely that the culprit is either watching the school for targets or," here she paused to close her eyes as if the next statement physically pained her to say, "is one of our staff members."

Startled whispers broke out as students began to consider the validity of the statement. Tucker and Sam shared a look at the panic, but Danny was still dead set on the idea of this criminal being a ghost.

Principal Ishiyama, as well as several other teachers among the crowd, were disheartened by the claim, but knew it had to be said. "Please, students," she said, cutting off the chatter, "I urge you to be cautious and never travel in a group of less than three people. Do not trust those who may look weak, do not trust those whose claims of needing aid appear innocent. Call the police if someone is in danger, but do not under any circumstances approach someone, child or adult, if they try and get your attention."

The woman paused to allow them to soak everything in before reiterating, " _You_ are the targets, and if you're not careful, the next time your families hear from you will be when your name is plastered across the front page of a newspaper."

The shivers each student felt were not caused by the school's AC.

She took a moment to gaze at their expressions. Each teenager looked as though they were finally understanding the situation they were in. Ghosts attacks were so common in their area that the principal had worried her students would not take the danger from a human as seriously, but one look at their faces right now easily disproved that idea.

Having said what she needed to, Principal Ishiyama backed away from the microphone to make room for Lancer. They shared a nod as they switched places.

Lancer did not hesitate before announcing, "As the principal has reminded you, the target is focused on Casper High students. Police are unable to figure out why, but if any of you are in some sort of danger or doing something you aren't supposed to, please talk to one of us so we can put an end to this madness."

That statement hit the half ghost superhero in the crowd _hard_. As he listened to the speech, Danny became more and more determined to find whoever was doing this, but that one statement from Mr. Lancer had his entire body tensing.

Sam and Tucker watched his fingers dig through the cushions of their seats. "Danny, please," Sam urged, trying to get his attention. "This is not your fault."

"It's got nothing to do with you," Tucker whispered, grabbing onto his best friend's forearm. He was shocked to feel how tense the muscles were underneath. "Sam, he's going to-!"

Danny slipped through their fingers. "-run," Tucker finished, lamely, staring at the empty spot where his best friend used to be. Because he used his invisibility and intangibility powers, no one noticed his sudden disappearance.

Tucker heaved a deep sigh at Sam's look of guilt. "He totally thinks this is his fault."

"Unfortunately," she responded, looking towards the celling as if she'd find Danny floating above them. "Stupid, thick-headed, teenage boy."

"I'm a teenager boy."

Sam glared at him. "My point exactly."

Lancer was still talking, but with their minds focused on their best friend, Tucker and Sam hardly cared what sort of safety precautions were being set as of today.

Tucker chanced a quick glance behind him and took note of the two teachers guarding the doors. "We'll look for him after this."

"So much for sticking together," Sam growled, sinking into her seat.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Danny knew that as a C student he wasn't exactly one for thinking things through, but leaving the assembly and risking people watching him disappear into thin air was hardly a concern of his when the rest of his thoughts were _so loud_.

If students from his school were disappearing, then the only logical conclusion was that it was somehow connected to his existence as one of the only two half ghosts known to man-kind. Not only students just from his school, but ones from his class in particular. Whether the ghost wanted to use them as bait, or just a simple threat/warning of what was to come, Danny was done sitting by idly.

In his ghost form, Danny agilely weaved through buildings until he came across the highest one in town. If he knew Valerie, then last night she wasn't taken from her home, but rather while on a ghost patrol of the town. The Red Huntress was well known for starting from the center of town– to ease suspicion away from the fact she lived near the edge– and working her way around the edge before turning in around two AM.

In hindsight, knowing her hunting schedule was a bit creepy, but considering she was usually hunting him, Danny was allowed to be creepy if he wanted to avoid ending up at the wrong end of her gun.

Carefully seating himself above the back corner of the City Hall building, Danny tried to calm his breathing. He could feel the ice of exhaustion creeping through his muscles and now that he had time to actually think, he realized that he'd just left his best friends behind in a panic.

"Ugh, stupid," Danny muttered, rubbing the heel of his palm against one eye. "They're probably worried about me right now." He raised his head to allow a breeze to run over his body.

The view from his seat was beautiful, Amity Park really was an architectural marvel, and if he turned his head slightly, Danny could see out almost to the edge of town. The people below were going about their day as if the threat of a kidnapper didn't loom over them, and Danny was surprised he hadn't been noticed yet, whether as a threat or a friend.

"Well, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth," he said, standing up. Before he took off to fly back to Casper High and apologize to Sam and Tucker, he noticed an elderly man nervously squinting at a stop light in front of City Hall.

"And a little community service couldn't hurt," he sighed, dropping between building and changing back to Danny Fenton.

He raised an eyebrow at the police officer standing next to the crosswalk but making no move to help the man struggling to read the lights. "Dude, seriously?" he asked, gesturing to the old man.

The officer looked down. "Not my orders, kid," he answered in a gruff voice.

Danny rolled his eyes. There were three officers hanging around this block and all of them were probably ordered to watch and only act if a teenager was involved in a scuffle. Figuring it couldn't hurt to be heroic as both a ghost and human, Danny stepped up to the old man.

"Hey, um, do you want some help with that?" he asked.

The man jumped slightly; when he turned, Danny noticed a hearing aid. "Oh! Oh my, that would be wonderful," the man said, smiling eagerly. "Such a nice lad, unlike those _useless good for nothing statues_ _over there_!"

Danny would bet his leg the officers watching were rolling their eyes.

"It's nothing," he sighed, reaching out a hand. "The light says walk now."

The man gripped Danny's hand weakly as the two crossed the intersection. There were only four cars waiting for them to pass, but thankfully they were patient with the slow travelers.

Danny shivered a little. Was it his paranoia talking or were they being watched? Deciding to make conversation, he asked, "So why are you heading to City Hall?"

The man scowled. "All those kids going missing and nobody finds nothing? I ain't settling for that crap, no siree."

"Did you know someone who was taken?"

"No, but do you think I'm just gonna sit around and wait for more of ya'll to take off?" he huffed, thanking Danny as he helped him step up the ledge across the street. "Before these bozos do anything, there'll be none of you left."

Danny smiled at him. "I know what you mean."

As soon as they stepped off the crosswalk the cars waiting for them to pass raced down the road. However, the odd feeling didn't pass and Danny couldn't help but look around. Besides the officers, there were three or four others walking away from City Hall a little ways away; none appeared to be a threat.

Danny's current companion wasn't done as he added, "I figured I'd talk to these people in charge and ask them what they think they're doing-"

Both Danny and the old man startled when a scream pierced the air. Absently, Danny noticed the officers jerking to attention as well, but all he had eyes for was a girl near an alleyway being overwhelmed by a larger man.

An adult attacking a teenager.

He didn't stop to think before he was suddenly in front of them and tackling the adult to the ground; the only things running through his mind were the names of his classmates who were _taken by the guy trying to punch him_.

Danny dodged the slow attack– ghosts punched ten times faster– and brought his leg up to stop a second swing from behind. Roundhouse kicks were overdramatic at best, but Danny wanted this guy down so he used the wall as leverage and caught the guy in the face before he could center himself again.

Blinded by rage, Danny ignored the woman gasping in the corner, ignored the cops who were almost on them, and even ignored the old man he left waiting on the steps of City Hall. His fists reached out to bring the guy's face up to his as he angrily opened his mouth to _demand he tell them where his classmates were_ , when he noticed the purse in the guy's hand.

Slowly, the rage left his system and Danny sat back on his heels above the man he knocked out. A purse stealer. The adult had stolen the lady's purse– now that he was closer he noticed that the victim was a woman, not a teenager– and his only crime was being a thief.

Danny was so angry he almost punched the guy again.

"Kid, what the hell," the officer from before exclaimed as he raced forwards into the alley. "You're supposed to avoid these types of situations, not run at them."

"Would you really have stopped to help?" Danny snapped, glaring as the other officers joined the first one.

The policeman gave him a stern look. "We're still cops, kid. Let us handle the bad guys, you stick to the old ones," he reprimanded, taking out his handcuffs to secure the downed thief.

Another officer gently guided the woman out of the alleyway towards one of their cruisers. Her wrist looked broken, but a quick trip to the hospital could have it fixed in no time. She sent a grateful look to Danny over her shoulder, not that he noticed.

Danny stood up slowly as he backed away from the situation to give the police room. "At least I'm good enough to catch a purse snatcher," he growled, angry at himself and the situation.

The police were starting to leave but Danny remained with his head bowed, lost in his own thoughts. He'd sworn that guy was going to be it. He'd thought he'd finally found him, and that he could save the other kids now that the bad guy was caught– but no! The bad guy was a thief, not a kidnapper, and Danny was a sucky superhero.

His vision blurred as his thoughts refused to shut up. He had been so _close_.

He needed to clear his head, he had to get back to Sam and Tucker before they got Jazz involved. Trying to wipe the blurriness from his eyes, Danny scrubbed them roughly. They felt heavy.

"Wow, kid, that was really something," the old man's kind voice cut through his angst session from the mouth of the alleyway. "You don't look like much of a fighter."

Danny tried to turn to face the old man. He ended up facing one of the walls. "I– my parents are pretty good," he said, using his normal excuse. His eyes were really starting to burn. "They taught me."

"They taught you, really?" the old man asked. His voice sounded far away.

"Yeah, they're hunters," Danny answered, tripping over his own feet and collapsing on the floor. At least he thought it was the floor. Maybe he'd hit a wall again? He wished he could see. Or think.

He lifted his head towards where he thought the old man was. Maybe he could tell him if he was on the floor or not. "Whereeee?" Danny tried to express, squinting at the mouth of the alleyway. Were his eyes playing tricks on him or did the old man have a light around him?

"It's funny, the other girl said she was a hunter too," the old man commented, sounding closer. "But she taught herself. What do you two _hunt_ , exactly?"

He couldn't lift his head anymore. Was moving important? It didn't feel like it was. "Ggggggssstttts," he warbled. Had he said ghosts? Wasn't he supposed to not tell anyone that?

"Ghosts?" the voice mocked. "Well now, that just doesn't make sense. Why would you want to hunt people?"

Was someone talking? Danny couldn't see, but he swore he heard footsteps. "Whhho?" he asked.

"You, cub, may call me Zookeeper. I think we're going to get along wonderfully."

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** Here's confirmation that it's a ghost, not Vlad (ha-ha sorry but that would be too easy), and some hints towards future agendas.

I've been handing out a lot of foreshadowing towards the enemy's motivations. Some among things Sam and Tucker have said/thought mostly during the chapter Star was taken.

Thank you for all the reviews! Holy crap some of your theories were so good. I appreciate the interest.


	5. Someone Was Watching

**Someone Was Watching**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 _Previously: "You, cub, may call me Zookeeper. I think we're going to get along wonderfully."_

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Danny knew the minute he returned to awareness that he was not where he was supposed to be.

The human body tends to awaken in two stages. First, the brain shows activity or consciousness arousing, then the second process begins to awaken the body. Danny figured he was in that first stage where he was thinking and feeling, but his body refused to respond.

Because he couldn't hear his father's monstrous snores, he knew immediately that he wasn't at home, and the smooth texture of tile beneath him told the teenager he wasn't laying in a bed either. There was chatter in the background and the vibration of running feet so Danny guessed the noise must have been what woke him up.

Not being able to open his eyes was an issue. The chatter was soon just above him, but Danny was no closer to being able to move than several seconds earlier so he couldn't tell who was before him. He was certain he was surrounded, but by friend or foe was the most important question.

Did someone just curse? Danny had to know what was going on. He groaned, using all his strength to curl one hand into a fist. The voices made various noises of surprise as they began to clear.

"-faster than normal, isn't it?" a female whispered, just to his left. Danny forced his head to follow the sound.

"Danny, can you hear me?" another, distinctly male voice called right by his left arm. He followed the sound to convey he was listening, but still couldn't open his eyes.

"You seem to get caught in the middle of everything, don't you, Space Boy?" another female said, sounding equally exasperated and amused.

If Danny could move, he would have shouted. That was definitely Valerie's voice. One final struggle for movement let him succeed in cracking his eyes open. There was artificial light directly above him and several shadows hovering nearby, but he didn't recognize the area.

He groaned at the headache that suddenly hit.

"Take it easy," a male said. Maybe Mikey? "The drugs have not had an appropriate amount of time to exit your body." Definitely Mikey.

Danny's tongue moved slowly. "Ddruggss? Nooo drruggss."

Two voices laughed near his feet. "This one's funny, can we keep 'em?" a male joked.

Once the headache passed- with the other students waiting patiently for him to fully awaken- Danny reached for Valerie's hand as he forced himself to sit up. The nausea was overwhelming enough that his hand immediately went to cover his mouth before he did something embarrassing like throw up on Valerie's lap.

"If you're worried about throwing up on me, don't worry, it's not like it's any worse than that time your pants fell off while talking to Paulina," Valerie teased, supporting his right side. More howls of laughter came from the two people at his legs.

"Okay, we're definitely keeping you," the black male joked, waving a green beanie at Danny who jerked backwards. "Name's Rodney, I'm number three. I assume you're Danny?"

Confused and disoriented, Danny took in his surroundings. There was a high ceiling with bright lights and the room appeared to have several doors on one side with only one on the opposite. Two tables were set in the center and a small area of what looked like grass was off in a corner. Overall the room was rather bare, but if Danny squinted, he swore the two statues by the door were ghosts.

Looking back at the people, Danny was relieved when he noticed Valerie, Mikey, Paulina and three more students. He couldn't contain his excitement and cried, "You're here!"

"Not like you can tell anybody," Rodney snorted, placing the green beanie back on his head. He was sitting between Paulina and who Danny thought was Caroline. "You probably haven't realized it yet, but you got caught too, man. You're a 'missing kid' now."

All the joy Danny felt abruptly left. He could feel Valerie pressing a comforting hand on his forearm, but all Danny could think about was Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and _his parents_. He curled inwards, "Oh god, I left Sam and Tuck alone. My parents are going to go nuts," he said, thinking about their ghost hunting tendencies.

Rodney was raising an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you the kid with the crazy folks that _hunt_ ghosts?" he asked. Danny nodded. "Well then it's perfect! They'll be even more motivated to find us now that you're here!"

To his right, Paulina crossed her arms and huffed. "I keep telling you, my prince will come for me and we'll all be rescued soon! We don't need to rely on _them_ for this," she whined.

"Even in captivity she never shuts up," Valerie muttered, rolling her eyes. If Danny were in a joking mood, he probably would have laughed.

"How are you feeling?" Mikey asked, moving to lean in front of Danny. The redhead took a quick check of his eyes before nodding. "Your pupils are shrinking."

Danny blinked. Was that good or bad?

Hearing Mikey's medical verdict, Rodney and the unnamed girl scooted sideways until everyone was in a circle rather than surrounding Danny.

"Hi, Danny," the girl said, smiling and holding out her hand. "I'm Mia. Number one. I've been here for about a month according to the newbies."

Next to Mikey, Caroline said, "I'm Caroline, number two," and Danny suddenly realized they were saying the order they were kidnapped in. What disturbed him the most was they made it sound like _routine_.

Rodney waved. "Already did mine."

"You know us," Mikey said, grimacing. "I'm number four."

"Lucky number five," Paulina cheered, waving.

Valerie looked at Danny as if she wished he were anywhere but here. "Six," she said, "and you make seven."

"Seven," Danny whispered, with the dawning realization that the number was part of his definition as a person now. "Seven of us are missing."

"Ye-up," Rodney said, accenting the p. He leaned back until he could watch the ceiling as if it was filled with stars. "You'll get used to it eventually. The shock wears off in about a day."

"At least he didn't wake up swinging," Mia laughed, sending a look to Valerie who was blushing faintly.

The casual manner of their behavior almost led Danny to scream at them. There were people desperately looking for these kids who were just, what? Joking around in some large room while an argument that could break out into a civil war about ghosts and humans brewed in their hometown?

The only thing that held him back was Valerie, who not only seemed to be indulging the others in their jokes, but almost encouraging them to tell some. Danny watched as the group effortlessly teased one another about the most inconsequential things until he realized they knew they were kidnapped, they knew they were in danger, but they were trying to cope as if they weren't.

Or maybe they were doing this for Mia who, as Danny watched, remained the center of attention. She had been here for almost three weeks before the next kid was taken. All alone with the ghost that-

"Zookeeper!" Danny shouted, jumping to his feet. Below him the others topped talking.

"What?" Paulina asked, looking confused.

"The ghost that took us," he explained. "He said his name was Zookeeper. Where is he?"

Shocked silence met his statement. "Danny, you actually saw the ghost?" Valerie asked, rising to her feet.

Danny nodded. "Wait, you didn't?"

Everyone's eyes were wide as they followed Valerie and him into standing. Danny turned to each of their faces and was met with disbelief. He angrily threw his arms out. "I saw him, I swear! He was the old man I tried to help cross the street, but then this mugging happened and suddenly the old guy used some sort of weird gas on me."

Valerie shook her head. "Danny, you have to understand. None of us have seen him. I was out…. shopping and then everything turned black."

"I was sleeping," Caroline voiced.

"Sleeping," Mikey shared.

Paulina snorted. "I was walking with Star and that creep _still_ managed to get me when I wasn't looking."

Rodney said he'd rather not say what he was doing, but reassured that he hadn't seen who took him.

Now it was Danny's turn to stare at them in disbelief. What had they been doing this entire time? "Are you even _trying_ to escape?" he demanded.

The insensitive words were out before he could take them back. Each teenager sagged, while Valerie and Rodney looked angrily at the single door to the left.

"When I woke up, I was in this room," Mia, the first girl taken, explained in a quiet voice. "No one came to talk to me, and the ghosts over there never moved. A couple times a door opened, and once I went in, it would close and," she paused, holding her arms protectively.

The others gave her encouraging looks so she continued in a much more confident tone, "They would just _watch_. From the other side. All I had to do was stand there every time the door opened and then I'd get food and water."

"The grass showed up when I started following the 'invisible rules,'" Rodney added. "Mia and Caroline were already here and following directions, but at first I was _pissed_ , dude. I attacked those guards, kicked the walls, and yelled every curse word known to mankind."

He paused to watch Danny's reaction who was only growing more and more horrified. "No one ever came. No matter how much I yelled and rebelled, no one showed up. Then, once I started going into my own little room that opened, we got the grass as a gift," he said, biting out last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I tried opening that door by the guards," Valerie said, waiting until Danny turned to look her in the eyes. "I swear, Danny, I tried everything to get this damn ghost's attention, but he ignored us as if we didn't matter enough to acknowledge."

She wore an expression that Danny had only ever seen aimed at his ghost half. Her face pinched in fury, not anger- which was too soft of a description- at the situation and the one behind it.

If he were paying more attention at that moment, he would have noticed the bruises covering parts of her body.

Danny chanced one more look around the room. Already he could feel his body returning to its normal state of just under an acceptable temperature for a human, and his ghost DNA thrummed within him. There was definitely a ghost shield surrounding the room, and if he could feel it then Valerie, an experienced hunter, should be able to at least hear the vibrations.

"Since you never saw the guy who kidnapped you, then the ghost shied gave away that we're in the Ghost Zone," Danny said, voicing his observation like a question.

Caroline coughed and pointed at the door. "The, um, guards are also floating," she voiced, not used to all the supernatural aspects of Amity Park considering she had just moved there.

Obviously that was the reason why the others knew a ghost had taken them. Danny fidgeted nervously when Valerie sent him a look. If Sam were here, Danny just knew she'd smack him.

"And how exactly did you know there was a shield, Space Boy?" the hunter asked, hands on her hips.

Oh, no reason, I'm just half ghost and the complete embodiment of everything you hate.

"Ghost hunter parents, Val!" Rodney laughed, swinging an arm around Danny's shoulder. As he was pulled in, Danny felt a wave of sorrow. It felt like the one-armed hugs Tucker always dragged him into. "He's been raised into this stuff!"

The people from his sophomore class laughed. Although Danny knew it was part of his cover, his face still reddened in embarrassment.

"Danny Fenton? No way, he hates his parents freaky stuff," Paulina snickered.

Mikey was trying to respectively hide his giggles. "Danny isn't exactly one for, uh, fighting off ghosts," he voiced, recalling all the times his classmate hid in the bathroom during an attack.

Valerie shoved Paulina and Mikey. "Knock it off, you two," she snapped, glaring. "There's nothing wrong with being kindhearted." Valerie was terrifying when she was mad so the laughing teenagers listened immediately.

"So this Zookeeper," Rodney asked as if the exchange before him hadn't occurred. "What's he like?"

"Don't know," Danny said, shrugging. He tried to recall the conversation they had in the alleyway before he'd blacked out. "He looked like an old man, had a hearing aid, wore plaid of all things. Honestly, he seemed harmless."

Valerie's mind was moving a mile a minute. "Explains why he used the gas to overpower us. If he's a weak leveled ghost, then he can't do much to us without help."

"But now that he's got us trapped, there's not much _we_ can do to get out," Mikey reminded. "Especially when-"

The shrill sound of an alarm spooked Danny enough that he jumped backwards, preparing for an attack. He cursed himself for immediately following instinct in the presence of a ghost hunter, but Valerie wasn't paying attention. When he noticed the others starting to move towards the doors, he asked, "What was that?"

Valerie and the others paused. "Oh, crap, new kid doesn't know about the viewings," Rodney said, turning around and waving over his shoulder. "Oh well, whoever he ends up with will have to explain."

Mia rushed after him. "What if he ends up alone?"

Rodney kept walking. "We had to figure it out. He'll be fine."

Danny watched as they left him standing dumfounded in the center of the empty space. Valerie was the last to leave him alone, but even she seemed to be in a hurry to reach the closed doors clustered together on the right wall. Each of the teenagers stopped before a door- except Danny noticed that Mia and Paulina were standing in front of the same one- and paused as if waiting for something.

There was an odd tension in the air, something Danny didn't feel like breaking. After several seconds, the doors suddenly rose. From this distance he couldn't see what was inside all of them, but Mikey's was closest to the center and appeared to be covered in puzzles.

The students quickly shuffled in. Rodney and Paulina disappeared as they continued to walk inside, but the rest of the students stopped at the edge to watch. Danny startled when all the doors started to close.

Except for Valerie's.

When the others were almost hidden from view, Valerie noticed the issue and screamed, "NO!"

Mikey tried to say something, but his voice was cut off just before he could call out words of encouragement. The other doors sealed shut. Danny remained frozen in the center of the empty room while Valerie glared upwards within hers.

"Valerie," Danny said, weakly. He had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was had Valerie nearly panicking.

The female screamed again, this time at Danny. "You stay there, Fenton, you hear me!" Her finger pointed towards him, but her face remained pointed at the sky. "He stays _there_!"

The room didn't seem to agree. A shrill sound echoed through the space and Danny almost collapsed from its intensity. Having super hearing wasn't always a good thing.

Valerie was stomping her foot in protest despite the shrill alarm. "I refuse!" she shouted, face red. "He doesn't belong here. Not _this_ one!"

Danny, keeping his hands on his ears, started to walk towards her. She jerked to face him before he made in halfway. "Danny, stop!"

He didn't know what was going on, but Valerie was angry and the noise wouldn't stop, so Danny listened to context clues and jumped passed the girl trying to block the entrance.

She whirled around to shout at him before he landed roughly on what felt like a gymnastic mat. He laid there watching her furious expression as the door shut with a condemning thud. "You idiot," she voiced, tone carefully level.

"I get told that a lot," Danny laughed, weakly, propping himself up on his elbows. The new room was just as bare as the last besides the holes in the ceiling and the pane of glass acting as the wall opposite of the door. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere you shouldn't have to be," Valerie answered, angrily. She marched over to him and reached out for his hand. Once they were both upright, Valerie moved backwards and settled into a crouch.

Danny felt uneasy. That was the look she got before she shot a weapon at his ghost form. "Um, Val-?"

"Do you know how to fight, Danny?" she asked, cutting him off. Her stance remained taunt.

"I- well sort of, I mean, my parents taught me a bit," he stuttered, backing up.

"Can you last as long as I can?"

Danny pretended to be shocked. "Oh, wow, you can fight?"

"Danny," she snapped. Her eyes were watching the ceiling.

To his right, out passed the window, Danny swore he heard voices getting closer. "Yes," he said, completely serious. "I can last."

Valerie nodded. "Good, because once they start coming out, it'll be a while before we get a break." Danny followed her gaze to the ceiling, realizing that his instincts were forcing him into a crouch as well.

Something was coming.

Just before little floating globs of ectoplasm that felt like rocks started launching themselves at the two teenagers, Danny risked one more glance outside the glass. There were ghosts, maybe fifty of them, crowding around their weird room.

"They're watching," Danny breathed.

Valerie's laugh held no amusement. "Here, Danny, someone's always watching."

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** Sorry it's up so late today! The chapter updates might be more spread out this weekend because it's my mom's birthday and I'm nearing the end of the one's I've already written.

 _Here's_ where the main plot is and where the title comes from. I prematurely announced that last chapter. Whoops.

Reviews are PERFECTION and I love every single one of them. Seriously, some of your theories are so good that I want to rewrite the story and add them in :D


	6. Ghost Hunters

**Ghost Hunters**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 _Previously: Valerie's laugh held no amusement. "Here, Danny, someone's always watching."_

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

A year of ghost fighting introduced Danny to the torture of muscle pain. Sore muscles were nothing to joke about, and the crime-fighting teenager held a new respect for athletes who were forced to endure the reshaping of theirs to perform to the best of their ability.

After the disaster that was the Casper High fitness test, Sam had forced him and Tucker into daily exercise drills involving running a mile and several muscle workouts to gain flexibility. In his ghost form Danny felt as though his bones were made of rubber, but in his human form he was constricted to the average high schooler's muscle density and elasticity.

Honestly, at first he had cursed Sam in several different languages, but now he was mentally thanking her for the insane training.

They had been fighting for hours. At least that's what it felt like. Valerie had told Danny halfway through that the other kids still hadn't figured out a system for keeping track of time, and apparently the ghost that took them decided the human construct wasn't important enough to give them a working clock.

Not that human electronics worked well in the Ghost Zone, evidence being Danny's tracking device he had hid in his shoe.

Through the muscle strain and battling weird mini ghosts, Danny prayed that Tucker and Sam figured out he was in the Ghost Zone and came looking for them. The only thing that worried him was the fact he'd already searched the Ghost Zone and hadn't found _anything_. Wherever this place was, Amity Park's normal ghosts didn't know about it, and humans who don't live here couldn't find it.

"You're slacking, Fenton!" Valerie shouted, punching through a blue blob.

Danny snapped back to attention immediately, just in time to dodge one of the ectoplasm balls from nailing him in the forehead. Together they had managed to escape with minimal casualties- Valerie informed him that this was a lot easier with two people- but the constant movement was starting to wear them both down.

Danny chanced a second to look at the other ghost hunter. She had a small bruise forming on her cheek where she had been too slow to dodge and sweat dripping down the clothes she went missing in. Danny himself felt like he was swimming in salt water from how much his body was sweating. Both of their breaths had been reduced to pants.

"We can't keep this up," Danny heaved, leaning one hand against his knees only to launch himself at the floor a second later. When the ectoplasm ball passed, he picked his head up. "How long does this- _aghh-_ typically go on for?"

"I've only been here a day longer than you," Valerie answered. She was slowing down. "It- _hugh_ \- usually stops before it gets too much."

Danny tripped as his knee threated to give out. "This was too much about 3,000 of these things ago."

When the balls finally started to slow, Danny was too exhausted to cheer. He collapsed in a heap, enjoying the cool feeling from the gymnastic mat beneath him. The sweat pooled off his body in a disgusting display, but Danny only had eyes for the ghosts outside their cell. Or rather the lack of ghosts outside their cell.

"Where'd they go?" he panted, knowing Valerie was somewhere near him on the floor as well.

Valerie's voice was muffled from her faceplant. "Who knows? They just leave and come back whenever they want."

"Don't you find that weird?"

"Ghosts are ghosts. Torturing humans is normal for them," she huffed, turning onto her back.

Danny frowned and propped himself up on his elbows. "Actually, ghosts don't really like humans- _at all._ They think we're kind of gross and weird."

Valerie snorted, still facing the ceiling. "That's a riot. Then why do they attack us so much? Amity Park's completely overrun half the time."

"Death does get kind of boring…"

"And you know this from personal experience?" she teased, sitting up. Danny knew she was joking, but his heart still skipped a beat. "Danny, I already know how you and your weird friends feel about ghosts so let's just agree to disagree, okay?"

Danny flushed. "Ah, yeah, now's not really the best time to get into a debate about morality-"

"-especially considering it's a _ghost_ that kidnapped us-"

"-but what I meant was, ghosts really don't like humans. They attack us sometimes, sure, but they've never actually killed someone or taken us into the Ghost Zone to keep," he explained, thrilled when Valerie's expression showed she was understanding the gravity of the situation.

"This is the first ghost that's ever kidnapped people," he said, pausing to calm his breath.

The sound of panting filled the room as Valerie seemed to mull it over. Finally, she frowned at him, crossing her arms.

"You sure know a lot about ghosts for someone who hates his parent's job," she observed, one eyebrow raised in the manner that told Danny she could smell BS.

He tried to shrug nonchalantly, knowing there was a tremor in his shoulder that couldn't be attributed to muscle pain. "Jazz is really into psychology and since ghosts are all my parents ever talk about, they kind of mixed for me," came his pathetic excuse as he pushed himself off the floor.

He could feel Valerie's eyes on his back while he moved to press his hands against the glass window. No matter what angle he looked at it from, he couldn't see what was down the hallway on either side except two or three ghosts standing next to their cell.

"Are they… watching the others now?" he asked.

Valerie moved to stand next to him, but didn't press her face against the glass. "Look, Danny, none of us know why we're here or how we can get out. The only thing we know is that if we go into these rooms and do whatever task is given to us, we get food and showers, and even new clothes at the end of each week, according to Mia."

Danny watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her face was pinched again in that frustrated look that was a cross between anger and helplessness. "Mia and Paulina are pretty so they pose in front of the window."

At first Danny was a bit shocked. Him and Valerie were forced to fight for their lives in this cell and all the girls had to do was look nice? But one glare from Valerie had him closing his mouth.

"You're a teenage boy so I'll let what I know you were thinking slide," she said, gruffly, watching his reaction as she explained, "Can you imagine how invasive it feels to simply stand and be leered at by hundreds of people? Even if it's not sexually, the stares of other people on your body are extremely unnerving."

The more Danny thought about it, the guiltier he felt. He absolutely hated being stared at when he was Phantom. At first he loved the positive attention- God knows he needed it- but the eyes following and judging every move he made was spine tingling. And not in the good way.

Valerie nodded at whatever disturbed expression he was making. "Now just picture your worth as a human being, the very core of your person, being narrowed down to your physical beauty. _That's_ what Mia and Paulina have to deal with."

Danny's fist clenched. He almost didn't want to know, but had to ask, "And the others?"

"We're split based on talent so Mikey is solving puzzles in his room: big brain teasers and riddles that would make your head spin. Caroline's thing is art so she makes the room look pretty and splashes colors everywhere. Rodney plays the violin for beings who will never understand the beauty of it's melody and-," she cut herself off, probably recognizing how her voice steadily rose and became angrier the longer she talked.

"And that's it," she finally finished, turning around and leaning her back against the glass to face Danny. "Once we finish, we get to eat, sleep, and the cycle starts all over again. Or so I'm told. I've only been here a day so I'm sort of a newbie too."

Danny turned around to mimic her position. He recalled the other kid's attitudes from the day before as he rubbed his forehead to ease the ache. "The viewings? Newbies? Why are they acting like this is some kind of game?"

"The first three have been here for a long time, Danny," Valerie sighed, sliding to the floor. She smiled softly at him when he followed. "They're trying to make the most of the situation."

"But they're not trying to escape," he observed, looking at the floor. He could feel Valerie shift against his side.

"Well they didn't have two ghost hunters on their side back then," Valerie suddenly said, smirking.

Danny jerked sideways. What did that mean exactly? She noticed his bewildered expression and bit her lip. "I know you said your parents only taught you a little, but I still think you count as a fighter after those moves I saw earlier," she said, laughing before looking nervous again. "And, Danny, I have to tell you something."

The teenage boy remained frozen as she confidently turned to him and stated, "I'm the Red Huntress."

Almost ten seconds passed before Danny realized he needed to _react._ "O-oh!?" he stuttered.

Smooth, Fenton.

Valerie was running her hands through her thick curls to ease her nervousness. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you when we were dating, but I broke up with you because I was trying to keep you safe," she explained, looking at him earnestly. "You're such a good kid, Danny, but I didn't want to drag you into my mess of a life."

Oh, sure. No problem. Let's just make Danny feel guiltier because he _created_ your mess of a life.

It took all of Danny's self-control to smile at her. "That's pretty cool."

Valerie looked up, eyes sparkling. "You think?"

"Definitely."

She laughed, leaning her head against the window. "That's good, because you know it's up to us if we want to get these kids out of here, right? I mean, Mikey's smart so that might help, but using our fists is the only way we're ever leaving this place."

Danny stared at the wall in front of them for a long time. She was right, it was up to them to get everyone out, and Valerie had just told him her biggest secret as a sign of trust and respect. They had bigger things to worry about than secret identities.

He took a deep breath. "Hey, Valerie? I need to tell you something."

She turned to smile at him encouragingly just before the door to their cell started rising. They were both on their feet in an instant.

"Dinner," Valerie shouted over the noise of several pieces of metal working. She walked out the door as Danny followed at a far slower pace.

The others weren't out of their doors yet so Valerie turned around to ask, "What was it you wanted to say before?"

Her smile was disarming and Danny could feel his confidence leaving his body. "Oh nothing, just, uh, wanted to get a head start on figuring out an escape plan, that's all," he said, laughing.

Valerie shook her head, still smiling. "You know you always rub your neck whenever you're lying."

"I do?!" he choked, suddenly realizing where his hand was.

"It's cute," she snorted, turning around. "But it's fine. Don't worry about it."

Her casual dismissal of his earlier statement wasn't making him feel any less guilty, but the others were coming out of their cells so he figured making a scene wasn't the best idea.

"Hey, kid!" Rodney shouted, running towards Danny who was ill-prepared for the sudden hug. "Looks like you survived the afternoon!"

From his place within the larger male's arms, Danny squeaked, "You're only a year older than me!"

"Yeah, but you're short."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Danny cried, indigently. Rodney only laughed in response.

"Be careful," Valerie said, appearing beside them. "The fight was easier with two people, but we still got hit pretty bad."

Rodney let go of Danny to whistle at the female's face. "Wow! You've sure got a shiner there, Val."

The others soon joined the exploration of their bruises, each pointing out which ones looked like they hurt the worst.

In all honestly, when Danny looked down at his body, the most pain he felt came from what he couldn't see: the muscle strain. He had maybe one or two bruises on his thighs and arms, but the injuries were nothing compared to ghost hunting. Even Valerie had gotten darker black eyes than the one she currently wore like a battle scar.

Mia held out a roll of what looked like bandages and a tube of cream. At Danny's surprised look, she explained, "When Valerie's cell opened, we started finding these under the benches over there during dinner."

Rodney placed a hand over his chest. "It's heartwarming to know the big bad ghostie cares, isn't it?"

After Valerie had covered both herself and Danny in cream- who blushed the entire time he tried to convince the girl he could do it himself- as a collective they moved towards the picnic tables.

Danny noticed that not only did the others seem to have seats chosen for themselves, but they were adamantly refusing to talk about whatever went on in their individual cells during what Rodney had named "the viewings." In fact, they were actively avoiding the topic until Danny noticed Mikey's hands twitching.

"Are you okay, Mikey?" he asked, his damn hero complex coming into play. It almost looked like Mikey had been electrocuted. Obviously, he had broken some rule because the others started looking uncomfortable.

Mikey was at least kind about his faux pas. "Oh, it's nothing, Danny."

"Are you sure?"

The redhead shrugged his shoulders and avoided eye contact. "I'll just be sure to get the answer right next time."

There was a moment where Danny's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but Valerie made a cutting motion across her throat.

Conversation resumed as normal when dinner suddenly dropped from a hole in the ceiling. "Now that's what I call fast food!" Rodney cackled. Everyone groaned loudly.

"You say that every meal, and it never gets any funnier," Mia reminded him, dryly.

"Danny thinks I'm funny, don't you, kid?"

Said teenager was too shocked by all the food before him to respond. "Is this… Nasty Burger?"

"Naw, man, it tastes better than that," Rondey answered, already peeling open the wrapper to a burger.

Paulina didn't agree as she gave the greasy meal a glare. It almost reminded Danny of Sam.

On the other hand, Danny wanted to think about what this could mean- the Zookeeper had to go into the human world constantly to get this type of fresh food, right?- but his stomach was preventing him from thinking logically. He reached for a burger, but glared at its contents suspiciously. "How do you know this isn't drugged with something?"

The others didn't pause. "Thought of that," Mia said, munching on a fry, "but my hunger strike only lasted two days before it got too much."

"I don't feel any different," Caroline commented, quietly. "What could he possibly be giving us?"

Danny shrugged, feeling embarrassed. "I don't know, maybe something that prevents you from fazing through the walls?"

Now he was given weird looks; even Valerie had to pause. "Last time I checked, we weren't ghosts, dude," Rodney stated, looking at Danny as if he'd grown a second head.

"But in the Ghost Zone, humans are the ghosts," Danny explained, taking a bite of his burger and practically cheering at its taste. "We _should_ be able to faze through these walls."

"What?" Valerie whispered, surprised. "I didn't know we could do that!"

Rodney looked like he was going to throw himself at a wall to test it out so Danny hurriedly added, "But I already checked these walls and it doesn't work here for some reason." The older teen pouted and sat back down.

"Could he have gotten the walls from the human world?" Caroline asked, startled when Danny gasped. "I mean, if he got the food from there then maybe he knew about the, um, fazing thing too."

Danny was extremely worried now. "But none of the ghosts I've met knew about the fazing rule before I showed them," he shared.

"Does that mean this Zookeeper guy's pretty bad then?" Mikey asked, looking nervous.

Valerie and Danny shared a look. "I don't know yet, but I hope not."

The meal was finished within minutes and washed down with a giant jug of water to share between them. The others informed them that they just left the trash at the table and by the time they woke up it was gone the next morning.

When asked about what happens next, they smiled at him as if he were a toddler. "Aren't you tired yet?" Mikey laughed, pointing up at the lights as they started to dim.

"Wait, we sleep out here? Where?"

Valerie directed him to a small opening in the wall by the grass. "Sleeping bags," she explained, pulling out several colorful ones. "Think of it like camping."

"Except we're here against out will," Rodney stated cheerfully as he snagged the green colored bag and raced to find a good spot on the grass.

"I call the pink!" Paulina shouted, rushing forward.

By the time everyone had grabbed one, there were two left so Valerie and Danny took the orange and purple. "There's always another sleeping bag whenever we get a new person," she said, laying theirs down next to the others in a big circle.

The bags were actually a lot comfier than they looked and Danny found it quite easy to settle into. Rodney was still laughing under his breath about something or other, but it seemed the others were ready to get to sleep.

"Do you think we'll get another kid tomorrow?" Caroline asked, tiredly.

Danny could hear Rodney moving enough to shrug. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get an adult soon," he commented.

"We'll get out of here before that happens," Danny reassured, confidently.

The others were silent, not quite believing him, but Valerie turned to face Danny. "You already have a plan?"

"A couple," he admitted, smiling. "I promise, we're going to beat this guy."

Several hums came from the other teenagers. "That'd be nice," Paulina murmured, half asleep already.

The lights above them finally dimmed far enough that only three remained on near the door. It illuminated the statue-looking ghosts there and reminded Danny what he was up against. If the Zookeeper thought they were just going to sit quietly like good little pets, then he thought wrong.

A dog when backed into a corner doesn't give up. It bites back.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** No cliffhanger this time! You're welcome! Lots of information this chapter about the kids' situation. The first escape plan happens next or maybe even the first two. It depends on how well they flow together.

This is the longest chapter so far and I wrote it at midnight XD


	7. The Doctor

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **The "Doctor"**

 _Previously: If the Zookeeper thought they were going to sit quietly like good little pets then he thought wrong. A dog when backed into a corner doesn't give up. It bites back._

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"This is an awful idea," Valerie stated quite plainly, raising an eyebrow at Danny from across the circle.

"I think it's great!" Rodney laughed.

Caroline managed to muster enough courage to glare at him. "That's because you're not the one that has to swallow paint."

"I know," Danny said, wincing, "if I could do it myself, I would, but this is the fastest way to get the Zookeeper's attention."

The minute they woke up, Danny gathered them to discuss their first escape plan. The idea was to get the ghost to open the door for one of them in order to scope the place out, which was less of an escape plan and more of a reconnaissance mission.

They could have tried Danny's second plan, which was attacking the guards and figuring out how they open the door, but for now he told them it was best to remain neutral and pretend to cooperate. At least until they knew what they were up against.

"Valerie and I get bruises from our battles so he seems to deem that as a necessary side effect of the viewings, but he also gives us medicine and bandages," Danny explained, considering the eyes of everyone watching him. "This means that he cares, somewhat, about our wellbeing."

He turned to send Caroline, who already appeared queasy, a guilty look. "And I know this isn't the idle plan, but it's honestly the best. Since this guy is a ghost he doesn't understand the human body well. If Mikey or Rodney were to use something from their rooms to cut themselves, it would be just like Valerie and I's situation and we'd probably only get sent bandages."

"But by swallowing paint, he won't know what to do," Valerie said, sighing. "I get it. He might have to take her to the human world to find a doctor or something."

Danny nodded, sitting backwards and allowing the tension to ease out of his shoulders. He was lucky everyone seemed to agree with his plan; being a leader wasn't exactly easy. "At the very least she'll be able to get a good look around. See if there are other ghosts or humans we don't know about."

The other kids grew sullen. "You think he might have taken others?" Mia asked, hands clenched.

"Thousands of kids go missing every year," Danny said, figuring that would be enough of an answer.

"And the shield around this room might mean he captures other ghosts too?" Mikey asked, confused. "I mean, why would a ghost do that to its own kind?"

Thinking of Skulker and Walker, Danny almost laughed. "You'd be surprised how alike humans and ghosts are. I mean, we have human serial killers that torture people of their own race. Why do you think _they_ do that?"

"It's different," Valerie felt the need to state. Danny tensed, but refused to respond. So far they had managed to keep their differing opinions of ghosts out of their conversations and he didn't want to break that right before they attempted an escape plan.

Caroline shook her head. "What if it doesn't work?" she asked, turning pleadingly to the others for help. "I could get really sick and he might not come for me."

"There is a chance he might not show up because he either doesn't understand what's happening, or might not be paying attention," Danny said, pointing at the statues on the other side of the room. "I don't see any cameras so we all need to be super over the top in convincing the guards."

"I'm good at that!" Paulina said, smiling. She obviously just wanted to help in some way so Danny gave her a smile back.

"Sure, but we all need to act like this is a big deal. Caroline only needs to drink enough to throw up, not a lethal amount, but we need to act like she's on her death bed, got it?"

"Got it," everyone responded.

They all remained sitting because there was nothing else they could do other than wait for the cells to open. Mia said they hardly ever got breakfast so their plan would have to be carried out during lunch when they all met up again.

Danny looked at the rather green looking Caroline. It was all up to whether or not she could stomach swallowing some of her paint once alone.

Rodney suddenly giggled. "I don't know why, but I feel weird, man," he said, vibrating in his seat.

"I did not need to know that," Paulina commented, scooting away from him.

"No, I mean, I feel like energized or something. Like super pumped!" he tried again, punching his arms in the air. "You know what I'm talking about?"

"It's because we're trying to get out," Mia answer, smiling softly. "I never even thought about it before now."

"I appear to be in the same position," Mikey said, looking at Danny. "When I woke up here I just thought 'well, this is it then.' So thanks Danny, even if this doesn't work out I still like the feeling of hoping again."

Okay wow, Danny just knew he was blushing hard. Valerie's soft giggle at the expression he made affirmed his suspicion. "Ah! No, it's totally not me, Val would have figured something out eventually. She's a- uh, fighter too."

Rodney laughed. "Oh, man, you're a riot, kid! Son of two ghost hunters and he still thinks he has nothing to do with raising our chances of escape."

It wasn't Danny's fault he wasn't used to so much attention being given to his human half! As Phantom he would sometimes get the occasional cheer or deeply heartfelt thank you from someone, but as Fenton? He'd sooner be shoved into a locker than sent a kind smile.

Thankfully his blood pressure was given a break by the shrill alarm before his head could explode. The other kids for once didn't look so disappointed when the doors to their cells started rising.

As they separated, everyone seemed to hold their heads high and their shoulder straight. It was a good feeling for them. Better than helplessness at least.

Before Danny followed Valerie into the next couple hours of hell, he turned to Caroline. "It's okay if don't want to do this, I'm not going to be mad," he said, trying to ease her nerves.

She looked startled, watching his face for any signs of deception. "No," she whispered, clenching her hands. "You're really sweet, Danny, but I can do this." She looked him in the eyes as she declared, "I want to help."

He was just receiving complements everywhere today, wasn't he? Danny, grinned at her. "Good luck."

She smiled back as they left for their individual cells.

As he stepped into his, he noticed Valerie watching him. "What?" he asked, crouching to prepare for a fight. She was giving him such a weird look, eyes roaming over his stance.

"Nothing, you're just… different," she finally said, following him into a crouch.

He didn't have time to mull over what she meant before the ceiling open fired on them.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"I hate this so much," Danny panted from his position on the floor.

Valerie was half sprawled over his legs. "Seconded," she groaned, hair flying everywhere. "What I wouldn't give for a hair tie."

"Here," he said, sitting up. She moved off his leg as he detached something from around his ankle. A large hairband was thrust into her hands.

"Sam always wears them so Tuck and I carry hair ties for her, and my hair always gets in the way so she carries clips for me," he explained, smiling at the reminder of his best friends.

"You guys are really close," Valerie snorted, quickly standing up and bending in half to tie her hair. "Friends like that are definitely keepers."

Danny nodded, suddenly sad. "They're like family."

Valerie, hair now out of her eyes, noticed his look. "Hey, we're making progress today. We'll get out eventually." At the reminder of Caroline's task, Danny stood up and followed her to the door.

The others were out and hovering by the picnic table. Lunch was already on it and everyone pretended to act as if nothing was wrong while in front of the guards.

Danny reached for a salad while watching her open door out of the corner of his eye. "She hasn't come out yet?" he whispered.

"No," Mikey whispered back between bites. He looked concerned.

"Think she chickened?" Rodney asked, curiously.

"She wouldn't," Mia snapped, voicing rising. The others hushed her.

Everyone was startled when the ghosts guarding the doors suddenly moved. Mia, thinking she had given them away, jumped up from the table. The students remained frozen as the ghost bypassed them entirely and floated into Caroline's open cell without a word.

"What are they doing?" Valerie hissed, leaning sideways to try and follow them.

A few seconds passed before they emerged, Caroline tucked under the arm of one of them.

The teenagers were on their feet in a flash. Danny was the first to retaliate by jumping in front of the guards. "What did you do to her?" he demanded, trying to keep her voice level.

The guards paused, heads tilting downward at the human that was standing in front of them. It took a moment, but the one not holding the unconscious girl finally said, "The human was expelling the contents of her stomach," he answered, voice deep. Both guards were wearing masks over their mouths so it was difficult to see their expression.

Danny relaxed his stance, noticing the others losing their tense positions as well. "She was throwing up?"

"Number two is expected to recover," came the answer from the other guard who finally pushed past Danny.

Danny watched closely as the guard not holding Caroline reached into a pocket on his suit and pulled out a card. Once the card was held up to the door, it opened.

Plan two started to come together in his mind.

The door closed behind the ghosts with a loud slam, hiding their unconscious classmate from view. "Well this wasn't exactly the plan, but it works," Danny said, turning around to face the others. "As long as she wakes up eventually."

"I just hope she didn't take too much," Mikey worried.

Hunger overriding their concerns, the teenagers settled down at the picnic table again. "Mia, have any of you tried staying in your cells before?" Danny asked.

She swallowed before answering, face scrunched up. "Why in the world would we want to stay in there?"

Danny nodded. That meant the guards probably went to get Caroline not because they knew she was in trouble, but because she didn't move from her cell. They must have just noticed her being sick and figured something was wrong.

"So what next, kid?" Rodney wondered, looking at Danny.

"I have at least part of a plan," he answered. "But I need to know how strong you guys are."

The others looked at one another. They had two thin models, one small nerd, and one tall, but impossibly thin guy. Valerie was the strongest looking with hardened muscles and abs everyone was jealous of, but even Danny was short and thin- although no one knew how much his ghost strength could help him lift.

"Yeah," Danny sighed, running a hand over his face. "We might have a problem."

The sound of a door opening had everyone looking towards the ceiling. Knowing what was coming, the others jumped back in time, but poor Danny the newbie was suddenly crushed under the weight of two huge bodies.

Despite the breath leaving his lungs, he was coherent enough to recognize the leatherjacket being worn by the jocks above him.

"Well hello there solutions," Rodney cheered, leaning into the faces of the two unconscious teenagers. "Man you two are _thick_!"

"Not these guys," Valerie complained, looking at the ceiling as if questioning her own existence.

Danny was slowly losing the ability to think. Apparently oxygen was important. "Little… help…" he wheezed from beneath Dash and Kwan's bodies.

Rodney and Valerie worked together to roll Dash off him as Paulina and Mia moved Kwan to the side. Mikey struggled to pull Danny out by his hand. Once free, the short teenager heaved large gulpfulls of air.

"I could have gone my entire life without knowing what it felt like to be underneath Dash Baxter again," he groaned, flushing when Rodney burst out in surprise laughter.

"Ohhhh my god," Rodney cackled, leaning over his knees. "Kid, I am liking you more and more each day."

Danny's ears were red. "I didn't mean it like that." He had been thinking of the time when they fitness buddies and had been shrunk together. Dash had passed out on top of him because of Skulker.

At least he was able to break the uneasy tension; even Paulina seemed amused by his unintentional joke whereas they had all seemed scared before. Caroline was who knows where and now they had two new classmates imprisoned with them. It didn't take a genius to notice that two at the same time was a definite escalation to the Zookeeper's kidnapping spree.

"How long until they wake up?" Valerie asked, only having been here two days now.

"With ghost kid here being the only exception, it's usually about an hour," Rodney answered thumb pointed at Danny who stood frozen. "We counted."

Valerie growled, "Don't call him that."

Rodney raised an eyebrow at her. "Why not? His parents are ghost hunters." Obviously he meant it as an affectionate nickname because of his parents occupation, but man had it freaked Danny out for half a second.

Valerie crossed her arms, grumbling something under her breath. Danny knew she was upset because Danny Phantom was often called "ghost kid" by her as the Red Huntress.

The irony was almost comical.

"Can we use them in your plan?" Mikey asked, changing the subject.

Danny walked around the slumbering jocks, sighing deeply. Of all the people to be sent here, it just had to be his school bullies. "They could certainly help us fight the guards, but I doubt they'd listen to anything I say."

Valerie was cracking her knuckles. "I'll _make_ them listen."

Reminded of the time they had all worked together to take down Ember and Youngblood when their parents had been taken, Danny shrugged. "Who knows, maybe us being kidnapped together might change things. It's not like anyone else at school would know if they decided to be nice."

Paulina giggled. "I would love to see Dash try and be nice. He's hated Fenton since like the third grade."

"Great," Danny groaned, sitting down. "Can't wait for the hour to be up."

They sat around eating and talking to each other for what felt like longer than an hour. Despite Rodney saying they had counted it out before, time was still something they weren't able to keep track of while trapped. Their discussions were short and meaningless, no one wanted to talk about another plan until they got details back from Caroline, and several of them felt the need to wind down after so much tension.

Deep in the back of their minds, however, each student was concerned with how many teenagers this guy was taking.

The kids knew it was almost time to head back for more of the viewings which prompted Rodney to bet which would happen first: Dash and Kwan wake up or Caroline comes back.

Paulina was the only one to bet on Caroline. "What? I've been to sleepovers with these guys. _Nothing_ wakes them up," she explained at their incredulous looks. When the single door to the left opened, everyone ignored her cry of triumph.

Caroline walked slowly, followed by the ghost guards. Her hands were wrung together in front of her body, a nervous gesture, and she looked like she was shaking. The guards hardly paid her any mind, moving instead back to their original posts as the door to the teenager's freedom shut firmly behind their watch.

Mia made it to her first, carrying a small bag of food. "Hungry?" she asked.

Caroline shook her head, sinking to the floor in front of them. Valerie moved to rub her back. "You doing okay? Did the doctor give you medicine?"

Another shake of her head, except this time she looked up to face them. "I- I was given a stomach settler. After I threw up all the paint. T-they said it was silly, but not unusual for… us to do this type of thing," she whispered, eyes wide.

Danny knelt by her side. "Did you get a good look around?"

"No, they wouldn't l-leave my side."

"The Zookeeper or the doctor?"

"The _vet_ ," she spit, shoulders shaking.

Everyone paused. Had they heard that right? "I'm sorry, the what now?" Rodney questioned, eyebrows rising.

Caroline let out a choked noise that sounded less like a laugh and more like a way to keep her centered. "The veterinarian. We have a _vet_ for when we get sick," her voice was bitter as she raised her head to watch their expressions. "Animals don't need doctors, after all."

No one could speak for a long time after that.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** Oooooooo! Tension! Only one escape attempt this time. Dash and Kwan are here now and there'll be two attempts next time! It'll be a longer chapter :D


	8. Run, Boy, Run

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **Run, Boy, Run**

 _Previously: Caroline let out a choked noise that sounded less like a laugh and more like a way to keep herself centered. "The veterinarian. We have a vet for when we get sick," her voice was bitter as she raised her head. "Animals don't need doctors, after all."_

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

The realization that their kidnapper doesn't consider them human should have been damaging to their morale, but instead Danny witnessed as his classmates became enraged.

"You're joking," Rodney spat, forehead creased with the force of his raised eyebrows. Caroline shook her head, appearing just as conflicted as everyone else, but with less anger.

Valerie gave Danny a look. "You were the one that said ghosts don't like us and think we're- what was it?- gross and weird."

"That's," Danny said, sucking in a breath to calm his nerves. "That's not what I meant. This is different."

"No, this is _dangerous_ ," Valerie responded, arms crossed and watching everyone as they swallowed the new information. "We were taken by someone who doesn't see us as people. What's worse, he's a ghost that has power we don't."

Mia sat down at their table, eyes wide. "We're pets." She placed a hand over her mouth to hide the grimace. "This is just one big hamster cage." Suddenly the large room they resided in felt extremely small.

"So, he doesn't value human life," Danny said, continuing quickly when everyone looked even more worried, "but he does see us as pets, which isn't as bad as you think."

"Really?" Mikey asked, skeptically. "How?"

"I've never had a dog before, but I know I'd never want it dead. And he gave us that bruise cream and Caroline the stomach medicine. He even has a vet- which is beyond insulting- but it's technically a doctor and someone who's meant to take care of us," Danny finished, noticing everyone nodding in understanding.

"He wants us captive, but alive," Mikey breathed, biting his lip. "I suppose it could be worse."

"There are worse things he could do than kill us," Valerie said gravely. Her words were sharp, but they did their job.

Since yesterday when they decided to attempt an escape, the teenagers were riding on the thrill of the adventure and the chance to hope again. The whole Vet thing may have set them back and brought their imaginations down to Earth, but Danny could easily see they still wanted out of here.

"I know you guys want out just as much as I do," Danny announced, eyes sincere. "I want to see my family again, and that can't happen unless we find a way to escape. There's a chance no one will be able to find us so we need to get out on our own."

Rodney was on his feet and by Danny in a second. "So, Ghost kid, what's the plan?" he asked, pointing a thumb at the two slumbering jocks, "and how can we use them in it?"

The plan was simple and Danny explained it with relative ease. Earlier when the guards had exited the room, they'd used a key card of some sort to open the door. If they could somehow overpower the guards, then all they'd need to do was run faster than anyone who tried to stop them.

Rodney whistled. "Now I see why you need the jocks."

Each teenager looked around the circle in embarrassment. Except for Valerie, they definitely did not appear suited for hand to hand combat. Even Danny, who they knew was in the fighting door with Val, had very little meat on his bones so they just assumed he was a whiz at dodging.

Danny explained that they could either wait for tomorrow to try it out, after they'd explained everything to Dash and Kwan, but the others were adamant about trying during dinner.

The alarm went off once again, and after reassuring Danny that it was okay to leave the jocks there until they woke up, everyone entered their doors for another couple hours of meaningless entertainment. The entertainment being them, and the ghosts watching from outside their glass cages being the audience.

Danny was sweating after twenty minutes, but he noticed that his legs didn't burn as much as yesterday.

"Finally getting used to it?" Valerie panted, noticing his small smile.

Danny used his left foot to propel himself away from the wall, narrowly missing a painful blast to the face. Once his footing was secure, he dared to grin. "Seems that way."

"Humans are amazing," Valerie laughed. "We adapt to even the weirdest situations easily."

"It's the only way we stay alive," Danny responded, mentally thinking that he wasn't as human as Valerie thought he was.

"Adapting here keeps us alive, but we really shouldn't get used to this."

Danny nodded, licking his dry lips. "Depends on how quickly we can make it out."

The two hunters switched sides, giving Valerie a break as Danny made his way to the center. The teenager boy could tell something was on her mind. "What's up?" he asked, making sure to keep his eyes on the ceiling.

Valerie hesitated before voicing, "Do you think he's going to hurt us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he- _cough_ \- obviously wants us to stay here," she explained, starting to show signs of tiring. "If we keep trying to escape, don't you think he'll get mad?"

Honestly, Danny hadn't thought of that. Ghosts could be terrifying when they wanted to, and some of them threated to do awful things to humans if they didn't listen, but most of them didn't mean it. Ghosts were honestly bored with being dead. Their only enjoyment came from tormenting humans. They weren't all psychopaths like his parents and Valerie classified them as, but there was a good chance this guy was more willing to hurt humans than the others he'd met in Amity. After all, most ghosts don't kidnap humans either.

"If I'm being honest, he might," Danny finally answered, wishing he could watch Valerie's reaction. "But, Val, I can't stay here forever."

"And you think I can?" Danny could practically hear her raising an eyebrow as she argued. "I'm the Red Huntress, Danny. Amity Park is full of ghosts that need to be taken care of. If I'm not there…" she trailed off.

"My parents."

Valerie actually froze long enough to place her hands on her hips. "Tell me you're joking."

Danny blushed. "Okay, then what about Phantom?"

"Wow, never knew you were this good at humor, Danny. You should be a comedian."

"It's a legitimate question!" he cried, embarrassed. "I know you don't like him, but he seems to be trying to help lately."

Valerie was frowning, rubbing her arm that was bruising after a miscalculation on her part. "If he's keeping the ghosts out of town, then whatever. But there's always the chance he could use this chance to take over."

Danny snorted loudly, dodging Valerie when she hissed at him angrily. "Sorry! Sorry." He really didn't want to tell her that, no, Danny Phantom couldn't be doing either of those things because he was trapped in a cage with a girl that hates his guts.

They kept their discussions to a minimum as they began to tire out. Their muscles were being stretched to the limit, and both their lungs were suffering heavily, even Danny's ectoplasmic reinforced ones (if Tucker's theory about blood and ectoplasm was correct). In the end, they managed to stay standing until the bell rang for dinner.

As the others came out, Danny kept a close eye on each of them. Mikey wasn't twitching this time so at least he hadn't been shocked for getting a question wrong. Mia and Paulina had deep scowls on their faces, and tired lines that Danny had never seen on the Queen of Casper High before. Rodney was as energetic as usual, obviously trying to transfer his enthusiasm to everyone else, and Caroline still looked a little green.

It felt weird because Danny obviously wasn't the tallest or oldest here, but in some strange way he felt responsible for them. He wanted to protect them. Maybe it was because he had the power to do so if they played their cards right.

They sat down at their usual table, ignoring the slumbering jocks who hadn't been moved, and Danny chanced a glance at the guards. All of his escape plans were betting on the fact that the Zookeeper didn't know who he was. The ghost shields could have been to keep other ghosts out- almost like a weird way of protecting the humans inside from being taken by others- and not a way to keep Danny _in_.

There wasn't any evidence that their kidnapper knew he was a Halfa, so Danny was going to play it safe and make sure he didn't clue him in. For all he knew, the Zookeeper might separate him from the others if he was found out, which would make escaping so much more difficult. And if he had a way to prevent Danny from using his powers like the Plasmius Maximus, then they were doomed.

"I can practically see the smoke coming from your ears," Rodney commented, smirking and pointing part of his chicken finger strip at Danny.

Curse him for being so pale. Danny just knew his face and ears were flushing red again. "Just thinking of more plans."

"You don't think this one's going to work?" Mikey asked, looking worried. "Should we even try it then?"

"None of our first attempts are going to work," Valerie answered. She smiled when Danny sent her a relieved look. He needed to eat, not talk. "We're in a place we don't recognize so we have no idea how big it is or what type of obstacles we'll face when we get past that door."

The others eyed the giant metal door as she spoke. Right now it looked like the only thing standing in the way of their freedom, but they supposed Valerie was right. There could be more on the other side.

"So, we're just trying to get the door to open for us," Rodney summarized.

"He's not going to be happy," Mia mumbled, looking resigned.

Danny winced, recalling his earlier conversation with Valerie. "He might not be, but we _have_ to keep trying no matter what happens."

"It might be good," Caroline said, shrugging. "We haven't gotten to see what the ghost looks like yet. Only you have."

"Do you think you could figure out his power?" Paulina wondered. Her sudden positive attitude could only be attributed to her weird obsession with ghosts. She even wanted to meet even the one that kidnapped her.

Thinking back to when he was taken off the streets, Danny frowned, swallowing his food before speaking. "I'm pretty certain he used human gas on us, which could either mean he's too weak to use his power, he doesn't have one, or-" here Danny paused to take a deep breath- "he hasn't needed to use it yet, and might not use it until he absolutely has to."

This was very concerning to the others who looked a bit nervous. "Well let's hope it isn't the last one," Rodney snorted.

They finished their meals, but Danny noticed Rodney kept a glass of water clutched between his fingers. He saw Danny watching and smirked, mischief sparkling in his eyes. "Don't you think it's time to wake the sleeping beauties?"

Danny placed his head in his hands. "Please don't."

"Come on!" Rodney laughed, moving to hover over the peaceful jocks.

"It's like he's _asking_ to get punched," Valerie observed, rubbing her chin in exaggerated bewilderment.

"I'll take the blame if they start swinging," the black teenager reassured. Dash and Kwan were muscle heads, but Rodney was _tall-_ over 6'2 and only a junior- so the jocks wouldn't be stupid enough to start a fight with him.

"Your funeral," Mia laughed, sitting down at the table to watch. Mikey and Paulina looked like they were enjoying this immensely.

Without any warning, Rodney poured the ice-cold drink straight into the faces of Dash and Kwan. Absentmindedly, Danny worried they might drown if they didn't wake up, but after a second they started sputtering.

Dash shot up quickly, eyes panicked as he coughed and beat a fist against his own chest. Danny took pity on his and thumped his back silently. Kwan woke up better, turning to the side and shaking his head to let the water run off.

"You could have killed them," Valerie criticized, giving Rodney an unamused look.

Rodney shrugged, but Danny could feel that he felt just the tiniest bit guilty. He'd only been trying to brighten the mood and make everyone laugh.

Dash stooped coughing long enough to take in his surroundings carefully. "What?" he asked, voice sounding sore. The minute his eyes locked onto Danny, he froze. "Fenton?"

"Hey Dash."

Kwan was up and staring at all of them in disbelief. "No way," he whispered, looking terrified. "You're _alive_." He was staring at Rodney for longer than necessary.

It made them all nervous, so Mia snickered at his unhinged jaw. "What, did you think we were dead or something?"

Dash and Kwan were still shocked and soaking wet, but they shared a look. "Yes," Kwan answered, shaking.

The kidnapped teenagers shifted uncomfortably, and Danny had a very bad feeling. "When I was taken, they still considered everyone missing," he voiced, heart sinking.

"They are, well most of you are," Dash tried to explain, white as a ghost and looking oddly relieved. "But, they found bodies the other day and-" he stopped, inhaling sharply. "Jesus, fuck, they thought they were you, Fenton. And him," he said, pointing at Rodney.

Rodney's face froze. "My family thinks I'm dead?"

"The police swore the bodies were yours, I mean there were a lot of burns and cuts and stuff, but they have these DNA thingys," Kwan spoke, rushed. "Danny, your parents don't believe it, but your friends and sister were… well, they were the ones asked to identify the bodies."

Danny's heart clenched in a way that it hadn't in a long time, deep regret and longing filling him. Oh God, he could just imagine Sam and Tucker staring down at a body some stupid police were trying to pass off as their best friend, but that was impossible because their best friend couldn't be dead, he absolutely wouldn't be because Danny would _never_ leave them like this.

And Jazz. Danny stopped for a moment to press a hand against his rapidly beating heart as he recalled it being Jazz's idea for him to try and get himself kidnapped in order to save the other kids. He wondered if she was crying because she believed she had gotten him killed or because she was angry like Sam and Tucker were about how the police were trying to claim this was Danny Fenton's body because it _just couldn't be, and they were_ _ **lying**_ _._

"Wow," Danny said, exhaling through a shaky breath and keeping his face hidden in his arms. "That's a lot to take in."

"But you're alive," Dash exclaimed, looking oddly thrilled about this considering Dannyw as usually his target for bullying. "We can tell the others-"

"-and how exactly are you going to do that?" Valerie asked, looking frustrated.

Kwan had already understood the situation, but it took Dash a couple of seconds before he looked around and deflated. "Oh," he whispered, face clenching as if he worried about letting any tears escape.

Rodney took over and did their practiced introduction in a dulled voice. Danny felt like punching something when he realized he was now included in it.

"I'm number seven, and you're numbers eight and nine," he finished, shaking his head. "There are nine of us missing now."

"Why?" Dash suddenly asked, looking panicked. "Why are we here? Who took us?"

"I promise we'll explain everything later, but right now we have a small window of time to try and open that door and take out the guards," Danny said, sternly, surprised when the jocks actually listened to him.

"You're trying to escape," Kwan breathed, feeling slightly more reassured.

"We didn't before these two came," Rodney said, pointing a thumb at Valerie and Danny. "This is our first try just to see if we can get the guards' key cards."

"We can fight," Dash blurted out again, actually flushing when everyone turned to look at him. "I mean, we're strong."

"That's why we waited until you two were awake," Paulina laughed, smiling at them when they called her name excitedly.

"Reunion later!" Valerie snapped. She grabbed Kwan and Dash by the ears before they could launch themselves at their friend. "Now, Danny's going to run through his idea and you are going to listen because his parents hunt ghosts and you dweebs wouldn't know what the back end of one looks like."

The two jocks gulped under her threat, but nodded. Danny was touched by her support and made it known by sending her a shy smile.

He went through the idea quickly, telling everyone what to do and where to go. Dash and Kwan were surprisingly silent, thankfully not resorting to their petty bullying ways, although Danny noticed that Mikey was quieter than normal and refusing to be anywhere near them.

"I remember the cards," Rodney said after Danny had finished. He was sitting casually on the floor, but his eyes were focused. "All they did was press them against the door and it opened."

"Perfect, if you know what the cards look like then you'll be one of the people grabbing for them."

In the end, Danny split them into groups. Dash and Danny were to take on guard number one while Kwan and Valerie subdued guard number two. Once the guards were on the ground, Mikey, Mia, and Paulina would help anyway they could by sitting on the limbs the others couldn't keep track of. Rodney and Caroline would then reach into the guards pockets, steal the cards, and open the door.

"When we get outside, we stay together," Danny emphasized. "If there's a left turn and a right turn, we go right. I know we won't get far once the door opens, but if there's even a slight chance we find the right exit, I want no one to be left behind."

"Can't they hear us?" Mia asked, looking over her shoulder at the guards standing impassively by the door.

Surprisingly, Mikey answered. "Ghost hearing is good, but it's not _that_ good." Danny nodded, shocked that he knew that. Although considering he was incredibly smart and managed to piece together why certain kids were being targeted, Danny wasn't overly surprised.

"So… are we just going to walk up to them?" Dash asked.

Danny shrugged. "It works."

There was no signal. No shout of "NOW!" and, disappointingly to Danny, no witty battle cry like "Going Ghost!" This was a tense situation and they were at the disadvantage as they made the way silently to the ghosts. Theatrics would just ruin their chances of escape.

Adrenaline pumping through their bodies, Dash and Danny raced each other to the first guard and tackled him in seconds. Valerie and Kwan were not far behind them, only having to dodge the second guards swing as he realized what was happening. Both ghosts were flat on the ground, hands pressed together by the teenagers when the other three grabbed their feet.

The ghosts who always seemed like statues weren't too difficult to take down, but their struggle was intense, and if they could manage to get their hands free, Danny knew they'd easily fry them. "Guys!" he cried, looking over his shoulder.

Rodney found the card first because Caroline was hesitating in searching the guards. "Got it!" he shouted, laughing with a huge smile on his face.

The others cheered, hardly believing this was happening. "As soon as the door opens, run as fast as you can and do _not_ look back under any circumstance!" Danny ordered, grunting when the guard under him elbowed him in the jaw. He knew that as soon as they let go, the guards would start firing, but if Danny stayed behind everyone a second longer, then he could take the blasts and come away with minimum damage without giving away his secret.

By the time Rodney reached the door, Caroline had found her card and raced after him. They both raised the cards to the doors, but Danny's heart was already sinking again. The guards had been able to open the door even without the keys touching it. All they had to do was be within five feet of it.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Danny could see the exact moment when Rodney and Caroline realized it wasn't working. It was heartbreaking because the hope left their eyes and panic set in. "Danny!" Rodney shouted, turning around. He must have seen the disappointment on Danny's face because he angrily threw the card to the ground and cried, "No!"

Caroline was still trying, bless her heart. Her fingers shook as she rubbed the card back and forth over the door, knowing it wasn't going to work, but still trying anyways.

With that, Danny let go of the guard and received a heavy punch to his side in retaliation. The others shouted his name, but Danny knew there was no point in keeping them down any longer. Guard one easily moved out from under the others and freed guard two by picking Valerie up by her shirt. Thankfully, the only punch they swung was at Danny who honestly was too upset to care.

Guard two set Valerie down next to the others while guard one snatched the cards from off the floor and Caroline's terrified figure. It was completely silent as the guards collected themselves and completely ignored the more than slightly terrified humans sitting at their feet, wondering what was going to happen to them.

Finally, the guards stopped at the door, having tucked in their cards, and basically returned to their earlier positions as if nothing had happened. The kidnapped teenagers didn't dare to move.

After a moment, the guard on the left announced, "You may proceed to your containers."

They did not argue.

Their plan had failed, which all of them expected, but they had at least thought they'd be able to open the door before being caught.

Apprehensively, and without looking at the others, Danny followed Valerie to their glass case. They remained silent until the door shut behind them, trapping them in their prison earlier than ever. Danny hoped the others were okay. He hadn't even asked if any of them had anxiety because he knew this would send them into a panic attack.

He thought of Dash and Kwan, who were probably going through what he did the first day: following the others and confusedly waiting until the doors closed to know which ones they had to go into. They'd probably have so many questions tomorrow. And if they didn't have anyone with them- if they weren't put with each other- then they'd have to face whatever is in there _alone_.

"It was worth it," Valerie said, watching Danny struggle with his thoughts.

"We didn't get anywhere," he argued, sinking to the floor.

Valerie nodded. "We didn't get out, but I think we got somewhere." At Danny's frustrated look, she smiled. "Everyone listened to you. You thought Dash and Kwan would fight it, but we all worked pretty well as a team today."

"And you gave them something to think about," she continued, sitting next to him and just barely brushing her shoulder against his in silent comfort. "Other escape options. Even just the possibility of escape."

"But we didn't escape," Danny snapped, glaring at her and not understanding what she meant. "Maybe if we'd at least been able to open the door then they'd be more willing to try again tomorrow, but we didn't even accomplish anything. It was a complete failure."

"They're still going to want to get out, Danny."

The boy bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling, ignoring her statement. "It's concerning that we aren't being pelted right now."

Valerie eyed their container warily. "There's no one in front of the glass either. It could just be because we're in here way earlier than normal." Both of them seriously doubted it.

They sat in silence, catching their breath and calming their panic. Their failed escape attempt was also a way to gauge the Zookeeper's reaction and see which buttons they could push without having him explode.

Danny didn't even realize he was waiting for the other shoe to drop- _this couldn't be it, right? Just being sent to our rooms like pre-teens being grounded?-_ until it finally did. After what felt like several minutes of deep reflection and something close, but not quite relaxation, the door to their cage started to open.

They were on their feet immediately, making certain to appear unfrightened and unalarming. Danny was honestly surprised when the old man he had met on the street that got him into this mess walked through. He looked almost exactly as he had last seen him, small and old, but there was a certain dangerous look in his eyes and a glow around his body.

For some reason, despite feeling no power from the strange ghosts, Danny wanted to _run_. "Zookeeper," he addressed, unaware he had spoken outloud.

The ghost smiled that grin old folks used to appear kind. "You remembered, pet."

Valerie was silent beside him, hands clenched, but Danny could feel her shiver. Just another reminder that they were viewed as animals, not humans.

"Why did you do this?" Danny asked, pausing to allow the ghost to answer. When he didn't, Danny tried again with, "Why did you take us here? What do you want?"

After a moment, Zookeeper looked perplexed and confused. He crossed his old arms over his body. "Can you not see that you are interesting?"

"That does not give you the right to take us away from our families," Valerie added, voice even.

Zookeeper smiled fondly at her. "Strays are free to anyone. I've always been fond of them."

"We aren't strays- we aren't animals!" Valerie snapped, losing her temper quickly. " _You're_ the only animal here-"

She was cut off when Zookeeper tutted sadly, shaking his frail head side to side. He stopped and looked at Danny. "This one barks quite a lot, don't you think?"

Danny grabbed Valerie's arm before she could launch herself at the ghost. He wanted to punch his lights out too, but Danny wasn't as immature as his Freshmen self had been. He couldn't feel any power coming from the ghost and that was the only thing that held him back. Not being able to sense another ghost's power either meant they were incredibly weak, or- what worried Danny- incredibly strong beyond detection.

"My guards tell me you wished to open the door," Zookeeper stated, eyes narrowing while the smile remained on his face. "I believe you misunderstood that only an ecto-signature could activate those cards."

It was sad that if Danny had been the one to grab the card, then they would have gotten out the door, but his secret would have also been exposed with the chance of them being caught. He didn't know if the situation they were in now was worse.

"We don't want to be here," Danny said, sounding braver than he felt. This was an unknown enemy that seemed to set his instincts haywire. He wouldn't be taking any chances when everyone else's' lives were on the line so he played it safe while making sure to tell the truth.

"Disobedience is to be expected," Zookeeper nodded, sounding as if he were getting this from a book. "I understand."

Danny let out a sigh of relief, feeling the tension in the air soften considerably. He breathed it back in when the ghost added over his shoulder, still wearing a smile, "But, try this again, my pets, and I will not be lenient with you next time."

The door closing echoed in the silent room.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

 **A/N:** Updates, yay! So I'm focusing on this story for another 2-3 updates, then I'm finishing SWMC. Read and review please! You guys keep me writing :)

BTW: 5,000 words rather than 3,000 this time!


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